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When completed, the Bellevue Medical Center will be among the most energy efficient hospitals in the Midwest. |
Being “green” has been a focus for the project since construction began in May 2007.
Because of these efficiency efforts and its positive impact on the community, Bellevue Mayor Ed Babbitt has proclaimed April 22, Earth Day, as “Bellevue Medical Center Earth Day.”
“The Bellevue Medical Center is an important part of the growth in Bellevue and all of Sarpy County,” Babbitt said. “We’re especially proud of the steps the designers and builders are taking to make this new hospital environmentally friendly and efficient.”
When construction is complete in about one year, The Bellevue Medical Center will be one of the most energy efficient hospitals in the Midwest.
“We designed this medical center to be a model of efficiency,” said Bruce Carpenter of HDR, the architectural firm that designed the Bellevue Medical Center. “The design makes this hospital 20-percent more efficient than conventional hospitals.”
One of the building’s most striking visual features is its ipe (pronounced EE-pay) wood accents and zinc cladding. These exterior features are designed to be maintenance-free for decades.
Inside, glazed glass makes optimum use of natural light, reducing the need for electric light during the day. Interior paints, adhesives, flooring and ceiling tiles are all made with low volatile organic compound (VOC) content. Even casework, such as cabinets and shelving was made with formaldehyde-free particle board.
The environmental theme continues outside the building as well. The 20-acre site will be landscaped using native plants and grasses that are already adapted to the local climate. This will reduce the need for expensive landscaping.
The design also incorporates an existing wetland just to the west of the medical center. A healing garden path winds between the hospital and adjacent medical office building with a view of the wetland.
The garden is designed to give patients and their families a calm place to help ease the anxiety that sometimes comes with a trip to the hospital.
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Aside from its minimal impact on the environment, the Bellevue Medical Center is expected to have a large and positive impact on the local economy.
“This hospital will bring about 500 new jobs to Bellevue,” said Levi Scheppers, chief financial officer of The Bellevue Medical Center. “We’re very excited for the day when this hospital opens and begins serving the people of Bellevue and surrounding communities.”
The Bellevue Medical Center also will serve another important function to a much bigger community — the U.S. Air Force.
The medical center is proud to be part of UNMC’s (UNMC) Family Medicine Residency Program — a three-year training program that provides family medicine training for active duty U.S. Air Force physicians.
Approximately 20 percent of the Air Force’s family practice physicians will be trained at The Bellevue Medical Center.
“All of this will be a great source of pride for the citizens of Bellevue,” said Cindy Arbaugh, project administrator for The Bellevue Medical Center. “They’ve watched the process grow from the ground up over the past two years.”
The hospital building itself is approximately 55-percent finished and the project is on track to be completed in early 2010, Arbaugh said.
“We expect to be treating patients here one year from now,” she said.
The $135 million medical center is a joint venture between The Nebraska Medical Center, a group of more than 100 local physician investors and UNMC Physicians, the practice group for UNMC faculty.