UNMC, Children’s strengthen partnership

Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and UNMC have signed an amended Institutional Affiliation Agreement (IAA), with approval from Children’s Board of Directors and University of Nebraska’s Board of Regents, to strengthen their longstanding partnership and improve pediatric care, advocacy, research and education in the state of Nebraska and beyond. This update contemporizes the IAA, originally approved by Children’s Board of Directors and the Board of Regents in 2007.

The IAA integrates and aligns the unique strengths and resources of Children’s, a freestanding, independent children’s hospital, and UNMC, an academic medical center, all to benefit children and families. The amended agreement serves to further define and operationalize the collaboration, to ensure sustained excellence into the future. It includes opportunities to increase physician faculty engagement, streamline the joint recruitment process and enhance fiscal transparency and accountability.

“Building on this historic, successful partnership will have a positive impact on the lives of children and families in Nebraska, the region and beyond,” said Chanda Chacón, MPH, FACHE, Children’s President & CEO. “We know that when independent children’s hospitals have strong partnerships with academic medical centers, it improves every aspect of pediatric care — from improving children’s access to the safest, highest quality pediatric specialty and subspecialty care to medical education and research.”

“UNMC and Children’s have a long history of providing outstanding pediatric medical care,” said Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, chancellor of UNMC. “This agreement further strengthens pediatric care in the communities we serve and assures families, across Nebraska and throughout the Heartland and beyond, continued access to cost-effective, high quality, pediatric specialty and subspecialty care, medical education and research. We are very grateful to Ms. Chacón and her team for all of their leadership in creating this enduring relationship. Our community will be well served!”

The agreement will continue to be critical in recruiting pediatric faculty to Omaha. Children’s and UNMC College of Medicine have jointly recruited more than 20 faculty members annually for the past several years. In 2021, there are plans to welcome 40 new pediatric specialists to expand important programs and services for children. The IAA has also been foundational to the creation and growth of the Child Health Research Institute, resulting in increased pediatric research trials and funding, as well as the development of key fellowship programs.