FAIRBURY, NE — Construction is underway for a new healthcare facility in southeast Nebraska.

Jefferson Community Health and Life broke ground on a new clinic attached to its Fairbury hospital on Monday. The new clinic will replace the existing one, which is across the street from the hospital’s Cedarwood Assisted Living Center.

CEO Dr. Burke Kline says the new clinic will be a big improvement.

“We can have more room, more services, ADA compliance, better technologically advanced - all around, just a better design and better setup for the hospital,” Kline said.

The new clinic will feature bigger waiting rooms, 23 exam rooms, two special procedure rooms, a radiology room and a room designed for COVID or flu patients.

“We’ll have a back-entry into a room that’s completely negative pressure so it should minimize the extent of transferring any communicable diseases,” Kline said.

The new clinic will add onto the west side of the hospital. It will take out the main parking lot, so the hospital is adding parking to the north and south.

Kline says the clinic matches the hospital’s vision.

“(It fits with the goals) to appropriately care for our community members with the best quality of care that we can do,” Kline said.

The new clinic comes with an estimated $8.4 million price tag that is mostly paid for by the hospital. Kline expects it to be open by the end of next year.