OMAHA, Nebraska - Nebraska Medicine and UNMC today unveiled future plans for the campus. They announced plans for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility that will take shape over the next decade.
This would be a public-private partnership that will lay the groundwork for the state's 21st century economy and create a new future of health care, education and research for the region, nation and world.
The preliminary plan calls for several new buildings on the northwest corner of the current campus. Early plans call for one or more towers for research and inpatient care in one location. This would replace older facilities on the campus that have served the community well but need replacement. This would also be the "hub" for expanding clinical trials and enrollment, new educational technologies and to become a magnet for medical tourists.
In a news release from UNMC and Nebraska Medicine:
“We want the medical center to continue to be a prime mover in propelling Nebraska’s economy to new heights,” said Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, chancellor of UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “This project will do just that. It will strengthen our position as a leading generator of new economic growth. We will train even more health professionals from around the world and recruit faculty and staff who are stars who will then attract more federal funding, corporate investment and patients from around the globe.”
He added, “Building on the success of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and numerous other successful projects, it is projected that these new facilities will expand educational workforce development in the health professions, be the home for even more cutting edge high impact research and continue our long tradition of serious medicine and extraordinary care.”
The public-private partnership between the medical center, the public sector, and the private sector may lead to new opportunities to collaborate with the federal government which could expand UNMC/Nebraska Medicine’s reputation in treating highly infectious diseases and national readiness and training of federal and civilian employees. This type of collaboration could develop space, which would normally serve as inpatient care, which could also be available to treat military and civilian federal employees in times of national or global need.
“Since the west Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014, Nebraska Medicine has led the world in bio preparedness efforts,” said James Linder, MD, CEO of Nebraska Medicine. “This new facility would be a quantum leap forward in that regard. So we’re not only advancing training, education, research and patient care, but we are also surging forward in the emerging fields of bio preparedness.”
Plans are in the early stages and so a specific cost has not yet been established. The early estimates show it could range between $1 and $2 billion.