Pender (NE) breaks ground for new hospital

Monday’s groundbreaking on a new hospital here'celebrated not just a new building but also the possibilities that it presents.

Officials and dignitaries beamed as they talked about the $20 million Pender Community Hospital that will soon'spring from'the soybean field just south of the current hospital.

Others who gathered to witness the historic occasion saw more than just the'first step'toward a new building. They saw their community taking a step forward as well.

“Pender strives to be a town that doesn’t fail to keep growing,” said Dana Beckman, an X-ray technician at'Pender Mercy Medical Clinic, just a couple of blocks from the hospital.