Although only separated by about 50 miles, Omaha and Lincoln are two very distinct cities. As Nebraska’s two largest communities, there is no doubt a friendly rivalry as each tries to make its own mark.
Last month, I had the opportunity to be a tour guide for more than 30 Lincolnites, who toured the medical center. It was an enlightening experience.
The tour was the idea of two ladies — Judy Wilcox and Mary Strand. Wilcox is a current member of the UNMC Board of Counselors, while Strand is an alumna of the board, a group of more than 80 community and business leaders from across the state that advises Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., on important health care issues.
Dr. Gold has made it clear to the group — this is your medical center, we want you to be engaged in what goes on here.
Wilcox and Strand have heeded the chancellor’s message.
“We talk about the med center a lot,” said Wilcox, who brought another group to UNMC earlier this spring. “We are so impressed with it.
“Every time we come to the Board of Counselors, we tour a different place on campus, and every time we come home, we say, ‘Wow. We have a treasure here. This is a world-class medical center — yet a lot of people don’t realize what we have.'”
Strand brought a group of women to the medical center last fall, and they were blown away.
“In Lincoln, we don’t hear much about UNMC,” she said. “They commented on the way home that they found the medical center to be so much more fascinating than they thought it would be. I would love my husband to see this.”
Strand and Wilcox decided to combine forces for another tour in May. They put together quite a group. Polished professionals — many of whom were retired — several golfing buddies or sewing group members. All good friends.
They toured the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and iEXCEL Visualization Hub and learned about staph infection research from Ken Bayles, M.D., one of UNMC’s star scientists. The evening concluded with dinner in the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
Questions were plentiful at every stop, and it was obvious that people were enjoying themselves.
Strand summarized by saying, “You don’t have to go to Mayo Clinic. UNMC makes second opinions easy and quick — all you need is right at UNMC — and you won’t believe what all is just 50 miles away.”