The ribbon was cut Tuesday afternoon on the new 108 bed Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center on the UNMC Campus.
Vice President Joe Biden delivered the keynote address during the dedication ceremony. His son Beau died of brain cancer two years ago. Biden says cancer is "probably the most frightening word in the English language" when a doctor uses it.
Biden says he is excited about the creation of the center, the community's involvement, and momentum toward further efforts to battle cancer.
One of those efforts included the standardization of medical data. As it stands, sharing data about different cancers can be tricky between medical institutions.
"The reason I'm excited about this hospital, this cancer center, I don't think anybody has to be convinced that sharing data is in their interest," Biden said.
The former Vice President said the time to act is now, saying "We've reached an inflection point of science and technology." In summary, the technology to battle cancer is here and continues to rapidly improve.
Biden was encouraged that the center was made possible by public and private dollars, making it a community effort.
The $323 million facility will open to patients on June 5. The 108 bed center has full clinical facilities and a state-of-the art X-Ray treatment device. Right across the hall from the hospital portion is a research center with 98 laboratories.
UNMC officials say putting researchers and clinicians in the same building will allow teams to work together to wipe out cancer.
"That builds a real urgency everyone together seeing what they're fighting for that you don't get with separate buildings," said Dr. Daniel Debehnke, the CEO of Nebraska Medicine.