08/19/2026
For Arlo Sybrant, the newest service at the Nebraska Medicine | Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center - Kearney means one less stop during cancer treatment.
The Bassett, Nebraska, resident, who is being treated for leukemia, has been receiving red blood cell transfusions since March. Before this summer, those transfusions took place at a hospital in Minden, Nebraska. Now, he can receive them at the same cancer center where he receives his care — the only NCI-designated cancer center in the state.
"There's a difference," Arlo says. "In Minden, I sat in a little square room. At the cancer center, you have a beautiful view. I would say it's a little more relaxing now. It seems to go better, and it's faster that way."
His experience reflects the goal behind a new service that launched in July at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center - Kearney: making more specialized cancer care available in a single location for patients across rural Nebraska.
"Providing the best possible subspecialty care close to home is a key part of our commitment to patients across Nebraska and the region," says Joseph Khoury, MD, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Department chair. "This reflects our ongoing efforts to bring advanced expertise closer to patients and their families, supporting our rural health mission and all the communities we serve."
For many cancer patients, blood transfusions are a critical part of their care. Until recently, these patients often had to visit another hospital to receive a blood transfusion, like in Arlo's case, requiring additional appointments, more coordination, and increased time away from home.
Offering this new service was made possible through extensive collaboration among several clinical and operational teams. Bringing transfusion services to Kearney required specialized equipment, rigorous regulatory preparation, staff training, and coordination across multiple departments.
"This achievement reflects the dedication of our infusion and clinic teams, along with the partnership and advocacy of our providers and lab working together to deliver the best possible care for our patients," says Michaela Newman, executive director of operations, Cancer Services.
"This was truly a collaborative effort involving nursing, laboratory teams, hematologists, oncologists, and our blood bank and transfusion medicine experts," says Scott Koepsell, MD, PhD, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology vice chair and medical director for the Kearney Lab. "A lot of people came together to make this possible."
But the work doesn’t stop there. The next phase will bring platelet transfusions to Kearney and could support infusing additional specialty products in the future.
"This milestone opens doors," Dr. Khoury says. "As we continue building capabilities in Kearney, our vision is to facilitate opportunities to bring even more advanced care, as well as research initiatives and clinical trials, closer to patients across the region."
