The landscape of the medical center campus will be transformed.
Nebraska Medicine and UNMC leaders announced Thursday early plans that call for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility on the northwest corner of the current medical center campus. A significant part of this project could open the door to opportunities for new federal, state and local partnerships, which would further establish UNMC/Nebraska Medicine as one of the most elite academic medical centers in the world, capable of preparing for and treating the most complex diseases.
As the project is still in its infancy, specific costs will be established as it takes shape. Early estimates project millions of new square feet, a size and scope that is in line with other prominent academic medical center projects nationally. Architectural renderings and program specifics are not yet available.
“This type of public/private investment is proven to work,” said Jim Linder, M.D., CEO of Nebraska Medicine. “This project will support new patient care delivery models that are not only more cost effective, but enable statewide partnerships. This positions Nebraska as a hub of activity for knowledge-based companies and health-science entrepreneurs. It will serve as a forerunner of future investments in Nebraska for decades to come.”
The goals of the yet-to-be-officially-named project will be to lay the groundwork for the state’s 21st century economy and create a new future of health care research and education for our state, region, nation and the world.
Buildings in this new complex could include one or more new towers for research and inpatient care, which would consolidate care in one location and replace older facilities, some of which are more than 70 years old. Strategic investments would also allow this facility to be a hub for expanding clinical trials, new educational technologies and to truly be a resource for our entire state and nation.
“We want the medical center to continue to be a prime mover in propelling Nebraska’s economy to new heights,” said Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., chancellor of UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “This project will do just that. It will strengthen our position as a leading generator of new economic growth. We will educate and train even more health professionals from around the world and recruit faculty and staff who are stars who will then attract more federally funded research, corporate investment and patients from around the globe.”
The project should be a true “public-private partnership,” funded through a collaboration between the local donor community, health system financing and partnerships with local, state and federal governments.
“Since the west Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014, Nebraska Medicine has led the world in biopreparedness efforts,” said Dr. Linder. “This new facility would be a quantum leap forward in that regard. So we’re not only advancing training, education, research and patient care, but we are also surging forward in the emerging fields of biopreparedness.”
Dr. Gold said, “Building on the success of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and numerous other successful projects, it is projected that these new facilities will expand educational workforce development in the health professions, be the home for even more cutting-edge, high-impact research and continue our long tradition of serious medicine and extraordinary care.”