University of Nebraska Medical Center
College of Public Health
Transforming Health in Rural Communities
The College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center strives to educate students not only in the classroom, but also out in the community. Students have many opportunities to foster health in urban and rural communities. One place this is demonstrated is in the College’s Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH). For example, students travel to the State Fair, Husker Harvest Days and many meetings throughout rural Nebraska to educate about safe work practices on farms and ranches. They help teach teens safety and get them certified to drive tractors for summer income. They teach safety to Native American workers who handle tribal bison herds. They help migrant workers obtain better health care for their families and adopt safe work practices. The students help research the effects of climate on health, and they provide huge amounts of help to rural communities devastated by flooding rivers and streams. They also help conduct research on the effects of agricultural dusts on respiratory function, a major health problem for farmers. In these varied activities, the students get a taste of how public health helps improve the health of Americans from all walks of life.