Nebraska Board of Regents lays out budget, including plans for $85 million medical facility

JULIE: THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA HAS AN $85 MILLION PLAN TO TACKLE THE RURAL HEALTHCARE CRISIS. ROB: TODAY, THAT PLAN OFFICIALLY GETS THE GO AHEAD. KETV NEWSWATCH 7’S BILL SCHAMMERT IS AT THE LIVE DESK WITH MORE. BILL? ROB: ROB, JULIE, UANIMOUS APPROVAL FROM THE BOARD OF REGENTS TODAY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE UNK-UNMC RURAL HEALTH EDUCATION BUILDING. IT IS EXPECTED TO OPEN THREE YEARS FROM NOW IN KEARNEY. HERE IS A LOOK. CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO START ONE YEAR FROM NOW. UNMC SAYS THE RURAL HEALTH CARE GAP IS WIDENING. THEY EXPECT, IF PEOPLE ARE TRAINED IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA, THERE IS A BETTER THAN 50% CHANCE THEY WILL STAY RURAL. THE $85 MILLION IS BEING SPLIT TWO WAYS. $50 MILLION FROM ARPA FUNDS GIVEN TO THE STATE, AND $35 MILLION THAT WILL BE RAISED BY THE UNIVERSITY WITH PRIVATE DONATIONS. >> ONLY THE UNIVERSITY CAN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THERE IS NO ONE ELSE IN THE STATE OF NEBRASKA THAT IS GOING TO ADDRESS THIS SHORTAGE OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN RURAL NEBRASKA 2020. >> IF WE ARE GOING TO GROW OUR STATE, HEALTH CARE HAS TO BE AT THE TOP, HEALTH CARE, BROADBAND, YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE THAT IN THESE IN THESE COUNTIES. IF YOU DON’T, THOSE COUNTIES ARE GOING TO DIE. BILL: ANOTHER FACT THAT SHOWS JUST HOW DIRE IT IS FOR SOME, 14 OF NEBRASKA’S 93 COUNTIES DON’T HAVE A SINGLE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. BACK TO YOU. JULIE: THANK YOU, BILL. NEBRASKA REGENTS ALSO APPROVE A NEARLY $60,000 RAISE FOR UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT TED CARTER. CARTER TOOK OVER IN 2019. NOW HE IS GETTING A CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2027. THAT COMES WITH A 3% PAY RAISE UP TO A BASE SALARY OF $962,000 PER YEAR. HE WAS ALSO GIVEN A $105,000 PERFORMANCE BONUS. CARTER IS THE THIRD HIGHEST PAID UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE, BEHIND CO

The Nebraska Board of Regents laid out its budget for the coming year.At the meeting, NU President Ted Carter said the University of Nebraska system has been careful with its finances.However, with rising costs, they may have to find more ways to increase revenue."We estimate that we will have at least $12.5 million as a gap or bogey each year that we, your university system, are going to have to make up through some combination of enrollment growth cuts," Carter said. The board also approved a plan to improve rural medicine in Nebraska.With federal and state funding, NU will build an $85 million facility at the University of Nebraska Kearney.The goal will be to expand the training of health care workers with the goal of keeping them in areas underserved across the state.

LINCOLN, Neb. —

The Nebraska Board of Regents laid out its budget for the coming year.

At the meeting, NU President Ted Carter said the University of Nebraska system has been careful with its finances.

However, with rising costs, they may have to find more ways to increase revenue.

"We estimate that we will have at least $12.5 million as a gap or bogey each year that we, your university system, are going to have to make up through some combination of enrollment growth cuts," Carter said.

The board also approved a plan to improve rural medicine in Nebraska.

With federal and state funding, NU will build an $85 million facility at the University of Nebraska Kearney.

The goal will be to expand the training of health care workers with the goal of keeping them in areas underserved across the state.

Nebraska Board of Regents lays out budget, including plans for $85 million medical facility

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