The University of Nebraska Medical Center is one of the leading economic
drivers in the state, bringing in millions of dollars each year through
research and patient care services, while providing a variety of key programs
to rural and underserved areas of the state.
That was the message delivered Saturday by UNMC Chancellor Harold M.
Maurer, M.D., at the University of Nebraska Board of Regents meeting at
the Holiday Inn Express in Valentine.
Were very proud of all we do for the state, Dr. Maurer said. Without
a doubt, the Medical Center is an economic engine for Nebraska. But, even
more importantly, the research were doing and the clinical programs we
provide are making a difference in peoples lives.
Mary Claire Mohrfeld, interim director of Keya Paha/Cherry County Developmental
Services (KPCCDS) in Valentine, detailed how the Munroe-Meyer Institute
at UNMC reaches out to her program by providing videoconferences for her
staff at least three times per year. KPCCDS provides assistance to 17 people
with developmental disabilities in Keya Paha and Cherry County. The videoconferences
deal with a variety of topics relevant to the developmental disability
field.
Were a perfect example of how UNMC has a 500-mile campus, Mohrfeld
said. Theres no way an agency our size could afford to bring in the speakers
that UNMC provides via the videoconferences. The videoconferences bring
university-quality training right to our doorstep. It keeps our staff current
on key issues in our field, and at the same time, it saves us money by
not having to incur travel expenses.
Dr. Maurer said UNMCs economic impact can best be demonstrated by looking
at its research expenditures as well as the clinical revenues generated
by its world-class transplant programs for cancer patients and solid organ
recipients.
Since 1998, UNMC has spent more than $355 million on its research activities,
including new construction, Dr. Maurer said. Using a conservative 2.25
multiplier effect established by the Center for Public Affairs Research
at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, this figure soars to $755 million.
UNMCs external research funding is expected to reach $53 million at
the end of fiscal 2002 and $68 million by the end of fiscal 2003. These
are dollars that would not exist in Nebraska without the research activity
at UNMC, Dr. Maurer said.
The transplant programs for UNMC and its clinical partner, Nebraska
Health System, have brought in more than $397 million since 1990. Using
the 2.25 multiplier effect, this figure climbs to nearly $900 million.
Some of the other ways that UNMC is contributing to the Nebraska economy
include:
· Nine Nebraska companies have spun off from UNMCs biotechnology
research. These companies have brought in more than $381,000 in revenues.
Over the past 11 years, UNMC researchers have patented more than 300 scientific
disclosures.
· UNMC has educated more than half of all the physicians, pharmacists,
dentists and nurses with bachelors degrees in the state. Through its distance
education programs, UNMC has helped hundreds of students get their degrees
at sites in greater Nebraska. The vast majority of these students have
remained in rural communities, where the shortage of health-care professionals
is most severe.
· A variety of rural health programs that have been recognized
nationally as a model for the education and recruitment of health professionals.
These programs include: student rotations in rural communities; medical
residency programs in Grand Island, Kearney, North Platte and Scottsbluff;
the Rural Health Education Network (RHEN); and the Rural Health Opportunities
Program (RHOP), which allows students from Chadron State College and Wayne
State College to gain early acceptance to UNMCs colleges of medicine,
dentistry, pharmacy and nursing as well as the School of Allied Health
Professions. A total of 374 Nebraskans have participated in RHOP since
it began in 1992, and more than 70 percent of graduates from the program
have returned to rural areas to practice.
· UNMC received a $2.08 million grant last year for the development
of Area Health Education Centers (AHEC). The Central Nebraska AHEC was
established in Grand Island last year, while a Northern Nebraska AHEC will
be established in 2002-03. These centers will help communities establish
their health-care priorities and implement programs to meet these needs.
· UNMC provided continuing education programs to more than 23,000
health-care professionals around the country, including more than 5,000
Nebraskans.
· Since 1990, UNMC has served as the headquarters for the Nebraska
Center for Rural Health Research. The center conducts research and analysis
related to improving health-care delivery in rural areas.