Find Top-Notch Cancer Care in Kearney, NE

CHI Health Good Samaritan

The scope of quality cancer care in Kearney is growing, providing patients in the region with access to seamless, leading-edge medical services close to home. This means they do not have to travel to cities like Omaha and Lincoln to seek care; they can stay near friends and family. 

Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Kearney 

The final steel beam is signed and in place at the 53,000-square-foot Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Kearney, with a targeted opening date of December 2024. 

The facility will be the new home for Heartland Hematology and Oncology, which joined Nebraska Medicine in 2021. Located in the mixed-use, 104-acre development called University Village, the area is being created through a collaboration with the University of Nebraska at Kearney and sits on the western edge of the campus. The new cancer center brings an investment of more than $33 million to the community. 

“As we draw nearer to the completion of our new cancer center in Kearney, we are incredibly excited about what this facility will mean for the people of central Nebraska,” says Kyle Skiermont, Nebraska Medicine senior vice president of operations and administrative leader of Nebraska Medicine oncology services. “This state-of-the-art center will not only bring world-class cancer care closer to home but also ensure that patients and families receive the comprehensive support they need right here in their community.” 

Services at the new state-of-the-art facility will include medical oncology, radiation oncology, lab, pharmacy, infusion, survivorship programs, genetics counseling and a healing garden. 

Edgar Bumanis

Kearney Cancer Center 

Cancer patients will soon also have another option where they can receive outstanding care nearby. 

Kearney Regional Medical Center, a full-service acute care hospital and the region’s first physician-guided medical facility, recently joined forces with Cancer Partners of Nebraska (CPN) to open what will be the 25,000-square-foot Kearney Cancer Center. 

Additionally, CPN is the first and only community oncology practice in Nebraska to become an MD Anderson affiliate institution with the National Cancer Institute clinical trials network. Plans are for the $15 million center to open by 2025 and offer comprehensive oncology and hematology services including, infusion and chemotherapy, a linear accelerator, access to national clinical trials, plus on-site CT and PET diagnostic imaging. It is being built between Kearney Regional Medical Center and Yanney Heritage Park. 

“Often we find that patients in greater Nebraska are seeking medical, radiation and surgical oncologists in different locations without centrally coordinated plans for ongoing care,” says CPN Executive Director Justin Rousek. “By opening this Kearney-based cancer center, we can decrease travel time for patients and allow them more time to focus on treatment and recovery close to home.” 

Trusted Cancer Care 

For more than 40 years, people have trusted the state-of-the art, patient-focused care at CHI Health Good Samaritan Cancer Center. The freestanding center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and provides specialty expertise by physicians, oncology-certified nurses, nurse navigators as well as licensed mental health practitioners, registered dietitians and cancer rehabilitation experts and the latest in technology and imaging. 

Best of all, it sits just steps away from CHI Health Good Samaritan, one of the nation’s top 250 hospitals and the area’s only Level II trauma center. Patients and their families can expect a highly skilled oncology team and a comprehensive scope of cancer care, from prevention to treatment to living as a survivor. 

Treatments are also personalized and adapted to each patient’s diagnosis and stage in their cancer journey. Other services include medical and radiation oncology, chemotherapy, surgery, infusion services, genetic counseling, clinical trials, and support groups. 

“It’s a point of pride that for more than 40 years, Good Samaritan has been providing world-renowned cancer treatment,” says Curt Coleman, president of CHI Health Good Samaritan.

“Our patients don’t have to travel for cutting-edge technology, expert clinicians and a full scope of oncology services. We have it all right here in Kearney under one roof.” 

New Education Building Aims to Improve Rural Care

A bright day is shining on Nebraska’s rural health care horizon with the construction of the Rural Health Education Building, a collaborative project between the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) and University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). The endeavor aims to expand existing UNMC programs at the Kearney campus and introduce new ones in high-need areas such as medicine, allied health, nursing, public health, pharmacy and mental health. 

The effort will help address a critical shortage of medical professionals in rural Nebraska. A 2020 UNMC study highlighted the need for more health care training, showing a quarter of primary care physicians in Nebraska are over 60 years old and 17 counties are lacking a primary care physician or pharmacist.

“By doubling the number of health care students in Kearney and expanding educational opportunities, we are investing in the health and well-being of our communities,” says Todd Gottula, UNK senior director of communications and marketing. “This collaboration with UNMC strengthens our academic programs, supports local economies and will improve access to essential health services for rural residents.”

Targeted for completion by late 2025 and occupancy in early 2026, the $95 million facility will double the number of health care students studying at UNK to over 600, support about 240 local jobs and generate an annual economic impact of $34.5 million.

The new, three-story, 110,000-square-foot building will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, cutting-edge technology and extensive simulation and clinical skills laboratories, and sit north of the existing Health Science Education Complex.

Opened in 2015, the current $19 million complex is located on UNK’s west campus. Over 300 students are currently enrolled there in programs such as cardiovascular interventional technology, diagnostic medical sonography, magnetic resonance imaging, medical laboratory science, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant and radiography.

Gottula says the Rural Health Education Building will also serve as a valuable tool for working health professionals in the area, mentioning that “the Rural Health Education Building is not only a game-changer for students seeking degrees but also a vital resource for practicing medical professionals. This facility will offer opportunities for ongoing training, skill updates and continued medical education and certifications for current health care providers.”

Students can enroll in expanded offerings starting in the fall of 2025, using existing UNK facilities until the new building is ready.