“Shaping the Future” video series highlights UNK’s KHOP program and Peggy Abels – UNK News

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The University of Nebraska System has released the latest installment of its “Shaping the Future” video series, focusing on rural health education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Hosted by President Jeff Gold, the video series features conversations with researchers, students and educators across NU’s four campuses who are changing lives and making a difference.

The episode, a conversation between Gold and Peggy Abels, director of health sciences at UNK, explains how the Kearney Health Opportunities Program (KHOP) is helping to increase the number of rural health professionals through a partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center Nebraska to increase.

Abels outlines the history of the KHOP program, provides details on the program’s successes and impact on rural communities, and reports on UNK’s ongoing efforts to engage Nebraska students in health care careers as early as seventh grade.

“Our students have long been coming to UNMC to become health care professionals, and in 2010 we were able to formalize that by launching the KHOP program,” Abels said. “We started with just six students and last year welcomed 72 new freshmen for a total of 177 students in the program.

“We are excited and so are our students and their families. Many are first generation and come from small, rural communities. Therefore, they are grateful for the opportunity to receive a fantastic education and begin their careers in central and western Nebraska. The sustainability of rural communities requires quality health care, so this program is a win-win for our students and for the rural communities we serve.”

“Fifty percent of health care professionals will locate within 50 miles of where they complete their education and training,” Gold said. “That’s why it’s so important to have programs like KHOP in rural parts of our state.”