Ground to break today on College of Public Health building

An artist’s rendering of the College of Public Health building, which UNMC will build on 40th Street thanks to a gift from Omaha philanthropists Ruth and Bill Scott. Ground will break on the new facility on Thursday.

The campus is invited to a formal groundbreaking ceremony today for the College of Public Health building.

The ceremony will be held today at 10:30 a.m. on 40th Street between Emile and Dewey streets. Cupcakes and fruit will be available for those who attend.

At the ceremony, the name of the building will be unveiled. It will honor a widely-known Nebraska couple, who have been visionary leaders in the community.

The 52,500-square-foot, three-level building will cost $16.5 million. It is slated to be completed by April 2010. Principal donors Ruth and Bill Scott, longtime supporters of UNMC and the University of Nebraska, made the lead gift.

Omaha philanthropists Ruth and Bill Scott have provided the lead gift for the construction of the UNMC College of Public Health Building.

The College of Public Health addresses a variety of health concerns including diabetes, childhood obesity, heart disease, addictions, health disparities, biosecurity and pandemic diseases. The facility will be designed to bring together faculty, students and community members in a comprehensive way to evaluate health outcomes statewide.

When it became fully operational in 2007, the College of Public Heath was the first new college at UNMC since 1968. Although there are 125 academic medical centers in the United States, less than 40 have colleges of public health. Furthermore, there are no other colleges of public health in a large section of the United States that spans 1,400 miles to the east and west and 800 miles to the north and south of Nebraska.

The building will provide space for five departments and seven centers that make up the college. Other areas of health expertise currently are in the development phase.