OMAHA— U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha alongside Gov. Jim Pillen and NU President Jeffrey Gold, touring the National Quarantine Unit that recently housed 18 cruise ship passengers exposed to hantavirus. The passengers spent six weeks in quarantine from May through June after an outbreak aboard the MV Hondius. Kennedy praised UNMC’s biocontainment capabilities, calling the facility the “mecca for biocontainment,” and highlighted Nebraska’s role in training workers for a developing biocontainment center in Kenya.

Kennedy and Pillen also discussed state-federal health initiatives, including Nebraska’s new Medicaid work requirements and efforts to restrict soda and candy purchases through SNAP benefits. Nebraska was the first state to receive approval for such restrictions, but a federal judge later blocked them. Kennedy criticized the ruling and expressed hope it will be overturned, while Pillen argued the restrictions are intended to improve children’s nutrition and encourage healthier food choices.

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