Dedication held for Lauritzen Outpatient Center

A special building dedication was held Saturday for the Lauritzen Outpatient Center.

Ruth Scott speaks at the event.

Both the design of the center, tailored to provide the best possible experience for patients, and its location, on the edge of the Nebraska Medicine/UNMC campus, will provide one-stop, patient-centered care in a variety of areas. Perhaps the most attractive feature: dedicated surface and garage parking for patients and families offering new convenience not typically provided elsewhere on campus.

“The construction of this building really was driven from day one by a desire to make things easier for our patients,” said Dan DeBehnke, M.D., M.B.A., CEO of Nebraska Medicine. “While the care our patients previously received in the Durham Outpatient Center here on campus was top notch, there were a lot of barriers in terms of access to those services. We believe the Lauritzen Outpatient Center, which includes the Fritch Surgery Center for outpatient surgical services, offers a patient experience that can’t be found elsewhere in Omaha.”

Charles Fritch, M.D., and Judy Fritch

Doctors in orthopaedics already are noticing how the design of the Lauritzen Outpatient Center is improving the experience not only for patients, but for physicians and other staff members as well. “Having our clinic, X-ray and physical therapy in close proximity has made for much more efficient flow of our patients through the facility,” said Matt Mormino, M.D., Herman Frank Johnson Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and an orthopaedic surgeon at Nebraska Medicine. “The experience for patients has been improved dramatically.”

The second floor of the facility is occupied by the Fritch Surgery Center, a suite of 10 state-of-the-art operating rooms designed for outpatient procedures. Four of the operating rooms will be dedicated to ophthalmic surgery affiliated with the Truhlsen Eye Institute next door. The Fritch Surgery Center was made possible through a gift by Charles Fritch, M.D., and his wife, Judy. Dr. Fritch is a graduate of the UNMC College of Medicine.

The building’s top floor, supported by a gift from Ruth and Bill Scott, is home to the headquarters of the UNMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, its research laboratories and educational space. It also includes a new center for telemedicine.

“We are incredibly thankful for the generosity of the Lauritzen, Fritch, Scott and Truhlsen families, along with Clarkson Regional Health Services,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “Their gifts and commitment to UNMC and Nebraska Medicine continue to have an overwhelmingly positive effect on the Omaha community and will allow us to continue to improve upon the extraordinary care already being provided here.”