[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6117797,"mediaKeyId","2727995-f631967c2df3f78bd9951e471d50859e","parentId",2727995,"title","Rural health advisers warn Nebraska loan-repayment cuts would worsen provider shortages","audioSeconds",1838,"startMs",1790000,"endMs",3628000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2727995-f631967c2df3f78bd9951e471d50859e&start=1790&end=3628","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2727995-f631967c2df3f78bd9951e471d50859e/thumbnail_1790000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6117797/Nebraska/Rural-health-advisers-warn-Nebraska-loan-repayment-cuts-would-worsen-provider-shortages","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117797-b499d74df64d94e4f1cd48f4e79fbbba/orig.mp4?Expires=1771070756&Signature=GocckH6biCFr6zTw5wQszfRcq5HKL4rslbTWWzc9naIk4AUequwgSwgaByQ884XyhGAHwvMOV4Sp52Jd2wO0xr-NZ3nRSKk2r2GkhdTG-PJEH20302S987sgayBl0iubfIdUz3W2thUeU~yqRMzTR7eVHfECX6EydmW3fqum6-kkCMgDPsRjfVZcPyRkuRgIRyUksGhEH2W7Z1eDiw00U4haU7prpS-o31I-Ckwo~U8D5Dz28XqLkRdDYbQ8qPwoLqye-8SXrnONrkBsAQ0Gym1r5scbTY5dWx5zqu5UdriqaQLr9ZgD9MQOO2HZF2q098fDKkHT4yYrFgfGXjFVhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nebraska Legislature","date","2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","article","Speakers before the Health and Human Services Committee urged lawmakers to protect and expand rural recruitment tools, saying state loan-repayment programs and regional care models are central to keeping services available in small communities.

Jeffrey Harrison, chair of the UNMC department of family medicine and a long-time rural health advocate, said Nebraska must adopt new delivery models to keep care local: \"Patients still want the relationship, with somebody they know,\" he told the committee while urging a hub-and-spoke approach that pairs centralized specialty resources with local access points staffed and supported by local teams.

Rebecca Schroeder, a clinical psychologist from Curtis and a long-serving Rural Health Advisory Commission member, described the state loan-repayment program that helped place clinicians in rural communities. She told senators: \"You can get $60,000 a year to pay back your student loans by serving in a rural area,\" and said keeping that pipeline funded is critical to retaining new clinicians once they arrive.

Roger Wells, a physician assistant who administers rural programs and provided a December report to the committee, summarized program outcomes and county-level shortages. Wells said the commission's data show 21 percent of Nebraska hospitals are \"vulnerable to closure\" and that 38 percent operate in a negative margin. He also reported that 42 of 82 counties were designated primary-care shortage areas and that nearly every county (81 of 82) is a mental-health shortage area.

Wells and other witnesses warned that a proposed budget cut identified in testimony as \"LB261\" would sharply reduce state support for the loan-repayment and student-loan programs. Wells said testimony referenced an allocation reduction \"from $2,100,000 down to $680,000,\" which he said would halt new loan-repayment contracts until 2026 or later.

Witnesses proposed several policy responses: maintaining or restoring loan-repayment funding, investing in regional coordination and telehealth sites where patients could get in-person assistance for tele-visits, and piloting community-health-worker and EMT-in-emergency-department models that could extend hands-on care without requiring a full hospital staffing model in every small town. Harrison suggested partnering county extension offices or other local sites as staffed telehealth hubs.

Committee members asked about training, scope of practice and the costs of emergency transport. Members and witnesses discussed the \"golden hour\" in trauma care and the expense of air transport; witnesses said improved local stabilization and coordinated transport remain priorities.

No committee votes were taken. Witnesses and senators asked staff to keep funding and workforce figures under review as budget discussions continue.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Health and Human Services Committee 3/20/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Members and appointees to the Nebraska Rural Health Advisory Commission told the Health and Human Services Committee that program funding and workforce shortages threaten rural hospitals and clinics and urged investment in telehealth, hub-and-spoke models and loan repayment to recruit clinicians.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NE, Nebraska","taxId",77675,"location","Nebraska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6117802,"Nebraska HHS committee hears gubernatorial nominees for State Board of Health; rural access and workforce top concerns",3487,253000,3740000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2727995-f631967c2df3f78bd9951e471d50859e&start=253&end=3740","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2727995-f631967c2df3f78bd9951e471d50859e/thumbnail_253000.jpg","/articles/6117802/Nebraska/Nebraska-HHS-committee-hears-gubernatorial-nominees-for-State-Board-of-Health-rural-access-and-workforce-top-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117802-4f58a93a9f35f4d145efc347e472f76a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771070756&Signature=RZo3fr~uz6oomrnRGFpAVOLqIDeMJy4CPeokIABkPyLA1L5vGzUwpVOco0mlIgZkjQIv4UexBOTr50eTae070SIctCR7o4u4iHKCpEQ1IpzVmCqL3Y4e8pmuS~vwt8hJGgJjXptJUOR5A-8O1rGqRddg8j3wMq7HWFfRQ-9mM8jQyvZpiJ4sS03I2crZPlyBa~BZlRJ6Tv4l6Ly3w7VWJ1GHs8L7gXPLose3dXQtHdQK8HRCRI5V336VH20Apjd0UYY3Lq5zxS1wtH8rmo4LN-PbRZUBDyltJhyFNUyQB0QmkY~TDpy0Twzuu4b9wH7Ub8Oj~zOgPUvRD88MFLhXZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Health and Human Services Committee on Oct. 12 heard testimony from nominees to the Nebraska State Board of Health, with several applicants stressing rural health care access and workforce shortages as central priorities.

Kimberly Stuhmer, a registered nurse who said she has long worked in rural care, told the committee \"rural health care is pretty important to me,\" and said she applied to provide a rural perspective to the board. \"I know that what works for rural doesn't necessarily work for urban and vice versa,\" she said.

The discussion centered on why rural areas struggle to recruit and retain clinicians and what role the State Board of Health should play. Paul Cook, a family physician in private practice who is up for reappointment, said his first year on the board was \"mostly confusing\" but that he now views the board's role as to \"enhance and support the health of the general public by improving congruence between the multiple allied health professionals\" that serve the state.

Nominees described barriers that drive providers away from rural practice: lower pay in many small hospitals and clinics, limited local training pipelines and the need for community buy-in. Mark Birch, a physical therapist and recent appointee, listed provider burnout, reimbursement pressures and Medicaid coverage as ongoing issues for providers in rural Nebraska. Several nominees suggested outreach to high-school and community-college students to change career pipelines.

Senators pressed nominees about practical solutions. Senator Reidy asked for ideas beyond higher Medicaid rates; Stuhmer recommended stronger community support and engagement. Senator Meyer queried how the Legislature or medical community could attract clinicians; nominees suggested rebuilding aspects of how nursing and allied health work are organized to offer more predictable hours and clearer career paths.

Separately, several written statements read into the record described additional nominees and their backgrounds, including physicians, dentists and pharmacists who forwarded CVs and written testimony rather than testifying in person. Stacy Hubert, a pharmacist who manages a network of independent pharmacies, said she now helps 62 independent pharmacies pursue payment for clinical services and asked to serve on the board to advise DHHS licensure and public-health matters.

There was no formal committee vote during the hearing. Committee members said they would complete required readings and return later to any procedural steps needed for confirmation.

The hearing moved next to the Rural Health Advisory Commission, where related workforce and loan-repayment topics were discussed.","The Health and Human Services Committee heard reappointments and new nominees for the Nebraska State Board of Health. Nominees and senators focused on rural access, workforce shortages, and how the board should advise state health policy.","actionData","errors"]

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Rural health advisers warn Nebraska loan-repayment cuts would worsen provider shortages

Nebraska HHS committee hears gubernatorial nominees for State Board of Health; rural access and workforce top concerns