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U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced she secured $18 million in funding to support improvements and modernizations of health care facilities in Nebraska. The funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Labor, Health, and Human Services (LHHS) Appropriations Act – passed by Congress – which now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law. “Nebraskans deserve modern health care facilities and strong support for the workers who care for our families,” Fischer said. “That's why I secured $18 million through the Senate Appropriations Committee to upgrade facilities statewide — bringing our tax dollars home and improving the quality of care across Nebraska.” PROVISIONS SECURED BY FISCHER: $12,000,000 for the University of Nebraska Medical Center to construct a training facility for air transport of infectious disease patients $3,500,000 to the City of O'Neill to replace the boiler and water heating systems at Avera St. Anthony's Hospital $2,500,000 to revitalize the operating room at the Community Healthcare System in Friend John Kozyra, President and CEO of Avera St. Anthony's Hospital, had this to say about the news: "The City of O'Neill helped us apply in April 2025 for $3.5 million in federal funding through Sen. Deb Fischer's office, and it was recently approved by Congress and the President. This is a significant investment that will benefit our hospital and community for many years to come. As a result of the October 2024 natural gas explosion adjacent to the hospital, our boiler system sustained damage and has not been functioning reliably at full capacity. Related to the boilers, we have a single, non-redundant water heating system susceptible to frequent breakdowns. This funding will help the hospital install a modern, energy-efficient boiler and water heating system that will support our needs for future decades. I want to thank the City of O'Neill and Sen. Fischer for their support in obtaining this crucial funding for our utility systems. I also want to express gratitude to the following individuals who wrote letters of support for our application: • Barry DeKay, State Senator • Bill Tielke, Chairman of the Holt County Board of Supervisors • Heidi Kuklis, North Central District Health Department • Shelby Regan, Holt County Economic Development • Lauri Havranek, O'Neill Chamber of Commerce A group of individuals within the Avera Health system also contributed to the application process. This was a team effort, and we are fortunate to have so many partners and advocates locally and regionally who support us and our health care ministry."
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| Tags | Explosion Hospital |
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