The Nebraska Blue Foundation recently awarded McCook’s Community Hospital Health Foundation a $10,000 grant to support its ROOTS Student Housing Project, which addresses a major barrier to rural clinical training: Lack of housing.
ROOTS, which is short for Rural Opportunities Offering Tomorrow’s Success, is a new 12-unit apartment building in McCook that will provide students pursuing careers in health care with a place to stay and opportunities to immerse themselves in the community.
Community Hospital Vice President of Support Services and Chief Information Officer Lori Beeby said that finding affordable, short-term housing can be a challenge for students as they complete rotations in rural areas like McCook.
“What we understand from students is if they can’t find housing, then they’re picking locations because they may have family in the area to stay with,” Beeby said. “It limited them on where they could go for their experiences. ROOTS solves that challenge and opens the door for more students to study in a rural community.”
The apartment building was strategically constructed in downtown McCook to give students more opportunities to interact with local residents and businesses. Amenities include high speed internet, study areas and gathering spaces for residents to connect with one another.
“McCook is great at embracing the students we have and really showcasing the community and what rural living and health care is about,” Beeby said. “We can bring students to our hospital and clinics, but to give them a true sense of what rural is, they also need to be in the community.”
By introducing more students to life in rural Nebraska, ROOTS aims to grow the state’s rural health workforce.
“As a champion for the health and well-being of the people of our state, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) is proud to uplift community driven initiatives like ROOTS through the work of our Nebraska Blue Foundation,” Jay Warren-Teamer, foundation executive director and BCBSNE community and strategic engagement leader, said. “We know there is a need to grow our health care workforce, especially in rural Nebraska, and are honored to support Community Hospital in these efforts.”
The doors to ROOTS recently opened, and students have started moving into the new space.
To learn more about the project, visit Community Hospital’s website. For additional information on the Nebraska Blue Foundation, see BCBSNE’s website.
