Dr. Narayana Koduri recognized for commitment to rural behavioral health care
Contact: Mary Roberts
North Platte, Neb., December 22, 2022 – Dr. Narayana Koduri, chief medical officer, psychiatry, is the recipient of the 2022 Ambassador Award from the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN).
The award pays tribute to professionals who make an effort to connect with residents, students and providers across the state to build the future of the behavioral health care workforce in Nebraska.
Dr. Koduri serves as an assistant professor through volunteer faculty appointment for both University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University, where he leads as supervising physician for psychiatry residents and medical students completing their rural psychiatry experience at Great Plains Health. The rotation provides medical knowledge, patient care experience and practice-based learning in a rural setting.
Dr. Koduri has supervised several psychiatry residents over the last 10 years and both the residency programs in the state of Nebraska see North Platte as an integral part of residency training.
“It is a great honor to receive this award,” said Dr. Koduri. “It is the whole team in behavioral health who deserves this recognition. The team is compassionate, highly skilled and truly passionate for investing in the future of behavioral health care at Great Plains Health and across the state.”
Award criteria includes:
- Focus on rural or underserved populations
- Demonstrated commitment to practice in Nebraska
- Activities related to workforce recruitment and mentoring
- Commitment and recognition of multidisciplinary approach to behavioral health
“Increasing access to mental and behavioral health care is one of our top priorities at Great Plains Health,” said Ivan Mitchell, chief executive officer. “We are grateful for Dr. Koduri’s dedication to meeting this community need, and his investment in the future of behavioral health professionals.”
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About Great Plains Health
Based in North Platte, Nebraska, Great Plains Health is a fully accredited, 116-bed acute-care regional medical center serving western and central Nebraska, northern Kansas and southern South Dakota. With 90 physicians representing nearly 30 medical specialties, the Great Plains Health system offers advanced health care, including heart and vascular, cancer, and orthopedic surgery services. Great Plains Health is a Level III trauma center, and all of its emergency department physicians are residency-trained and board-certified in emergency medicine. The system employs approximately 1,200 employees and serves a geographic area spanning more than 67,000 square miles. The hospital is accredited by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) and is home to an American College of Surgeons-accredited cancer center and Level II bariatric surgery program. For more information, visit gphealth.org.