President praises UNMC during Omaha appearance

Thousands cheered Wednesday as President Obama gave kudos to UNMC and the work they, and their primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, did in the fight against Ebola.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the doctors and nurses, including here at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who heroically treated and cared for patients,” the president said. “They saved lives not just here, but their courage saved lives around the world — because they showed that, you know what, we can deal with this. It’s a problem; it’s serious; we’re going to ‘science the heck out of it.’ And as a consequence, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people’s lives were saved.”

UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., was among those attending the President’s speech Wednesday at Baxter Arena.

“The president’s comments about UNMC were very much appreciated,” Dr. Gold said. “Our dedicated approach to challenging problems, such as the worldwide Ebola epidemic, embodies the spirit of our institution and our community. We continue to lead in this area on a national level through the National Ebola Training and Education Center, here at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine. The president’s recognition of what academic health centers do best, serious medicine and truly extraordinary care is right on; Mr. President, thanks for the call-out!”

Last February, President Obama also acknowledged the medical center’s role during an event that recognized the U.S. response to the Ebola crisis. At that time, he referenced Richard Sacra, M.D., “who received world-class care at Nebraska Medical Center.”