Gill joins Lexington Regional Health Center; here's what patients can expect. Lexington Regional Health Center has added a new member to its team in an effort to expand breast care and surgery services for the community.

LRHC adding Dr. Rebecca Gill general surgeon with focus on breast care to medical staff. Brian Neben Jul 21, 2026 | 3:28 PM Lexington Regional Health Center is welcoming, Dr. Rebecca Gill, a board-certified general surgeon with a specialized focus on breast health to their medical staff, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today) LEXINGTON - Lexington Regional Health Center is welcoming, Dr. Rebecca Gill, a board-certified general surgeon with a specialized focus on breast health to their medical staff. Brenna Bartruff, Chief Communications Officer with Lexington Regional Health Center (LHRC), said that Gill's arrival expands access to specialized breast care closer to home, which will help patients receive evaluation, treatment and follow up care without the need for long distance travel. Bartruff noted that Gill will be on staff, not a traveling specialist and will help to provide a continuity of care. Gill said she grew up in the Denver area and her parents resided in the Scottsbluff for 18 years. "So this area has always been near and dear to me," she said. Speaking of her education, Gill said she pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder and her medical school at the University of Wisconsin. Her surgery training took place at St. Louis University. Gill is coming to Nebraska from Florida, where she lived and worked for nine years. In the Sunshine State she worked to build a breast program and be a part of a community and make a difference. Facing changes in Florida, Gill and her family made the decision to relocate west and found Lexington and said the LRHC staff and the community have been amazing. Gill said she provides skills as a general surgeon and looks forward to building a quality breast program in the Lexington area. Speaking to her specialization in breast health, Gill said during her surgery training, she saw how many improvements could be made regarding breast patients. At that time, she felt that the breast cancer patients were not distinguished from general patients and didn't receive any specialized care. While working at a critical access hospital in rural Idaho, Gill said she worked to build a specialized breast program that could serve woman through a potentially frightening time in their life. Gill said it was her breast cancer patients who kept her grounded, she would follow them throughout their treatment and as a result, their lives, learning the names of patient's pets, or grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Perusing extra training in breast care, Gill said she learned different surgery techniques to make the effects of surgery less noticeable. Local access to quality breast care is "very important," Gill said because without it, people are having to travel a greater distance to get the care they needed. She noted patients do better when they are closer to home, to their support network. "They deserve to be able to have that kind of quality care at home," said Gill, "People will be able to make their way through what is a very scary and very difficult time diagnosis, not having to travel, or feeling like a number." Gill strongly urged women to get mammograms starting at age 40 and then getting them every year after. She said mammograms are vitally important as they can find much smaller aberrations much earlier than a traditional exam. Women are also encouraged to do their own self-exams and pay attention to anything out of the ordinary. Even if it is a mild concern, Gill said it is better to be examined than to let a potential problem grow unchecked. Gill said women shouldn't feel self-conscious for seeking out an exam over what might be perceived as small worry. A worse situation is a woman who might have concerns but push them off and try to keep it out of mind. Gill said breast cancer concerns can be overwhelming but that is what she is here for, to help guide patients to the best possible outcomes. When it comes to breast cancer treatment, there have been many strides in the field that have meant better imaging studies and technology Gill said 3D mammograms have become standard and do a much better job at early detection and sort out issues that are not cancerous. She also noted that MRI scans have become commonplace with those patients who are at a higher risk for breast cancer. When asked about the impact of having expert breast health access closer to home, Gill said this is not a service that every hospital provides and this level of care usually meant some type of travel. "This was definitely a need that I felt was in the area," Gill said. In closing Gill said encouraged women with questions or concerns to come to LRHC and not to delay. She again emphasized the importance to mammograms for women over 40, "when you find breast cancers early, they are so much easier to treat." Gill closed with an important statistic, early-stage breast cancer is 95 percent curable, not treatable but curable.