Together with America Online, the University of Nebraska Medical
Center and the Nebraska Health System will host an on-line chat Monday,
Nov. 16, from 7 to 7:30 p.m. The chat is part of a week of activities celebrating
the grand opening of The Lied Transplant Center.
Sen. Bob Kerrey, several UNMC transplant physicians, nurses, researchers
and administrators have been invited to attend. The chat will focus on
The Lied Transplant Center, the cooperative care model, student and patient
education, research, organ donation and transplant services at UNMC and
NHS.
AOL, which reaches an audience of 16 million subscribers, will host
the chat on its health channel. For anyone who is not an AOL subscriber,
the company has donated a limited number of free trial disks. For more
information on the disks, contact the office of public affairs at (402)
559-4353.
The Lied Transplant Center will open the week of Nov. 15 to 21. The
251,000 square foot building contains 14 levels and has been under construction
since September 1996. Total cost of the project was $61.3 million. This
figure includes $55.6 million for construction of The Lied Transplant Center
and $5.7 million for construction of the UNMC Student Life Center. This
building was necessitated for UNMC employees who had to be relocated from
Conkling Hall, which was demolished to allow a site for The Lied Transplant
Center. No state tax dollars were used in construction of The Lied Transplant
Center, as private donations and the federal grant funded more than $35
million of the cost. Hospital revenues and additional private donations
will fund the remainder of the project.
For more information about how to access the chat, go to www.unmc.edu/grandopening
or www.NHSnet.org/grandopening.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in
research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.
In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.