Why Nebraska?
Vision and an All-Star, All-Volunteer Team
How did Omaha, Nebraska, an ambitious, but decidedly mid-sized Midwestern city, become a global epicenter for biopreparedness? It started with a vision. And, with people. Years before Ebola became a worldwide buzzword, the state’s academic medical center, UNMC, primary clinical partner Nebraska Medicine, and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, came together to create the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. One of only a select handful of such specialized units nationwide.
But without people, that’s merely expensive infrastructure. Nebraska’s difference is an all-star, all-volunteer team that dedicated itself to being ready for a crisis it did not yet know, at some future date that had not yet come. Years went by. Nearly a decade. Save for a few false alarms, the unit sat empty. The team, driven by a vision, kept on.
“By the end of that nine years,” longtime Nebraska Biocontainment Unit medical director Dr. Phil Smith told Nebraska Educational Television, in an award-winning documentary, “we had the hard-core biocontainment geeks, if you want to put it that way.”
They were firefighters, forever drilling. But their call never came. Some openly wondered, Would it ever? Dr. Smith felt the rumbling: “I know there were times when the hospital was full, we had to divert people to other hospitals. They were saying, Why are we just letting this 10-bed unit sit there?” But the vision held.
“Dr. Smith put his foot down about a hundred times,” said Dr. Daniel Johnson, who would later join the unit: " 'We need to keep this unit. We are going to need it. Trust me.’ ” In Omaha, Nebraska, leadership agreed.
“To their credit,” Dr. Smith said, “they had the long vision. They could see the global trends. And the fact this was something that could be very useful if there were an outbreak down the line.”
Ebola
In 2014, Ebola, one of the world’s deadliest special pathogens, was ravaging West Africa like a wildfire.The State Department called. American medical missionaries had become infected. Was the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit ready? Always ready. And with that, an Ebola patient was in the air and on his way. To Nebraska.
“I tingled from head to foot,” Dr. Smith said.
“We’d trained 10 years for this moment. And these are our fellow Americans. And if we weren't going to seize this, then everything that we have done has been for naught.”
“Dr. Smith and Shelly had told us that everything was going to be good,” said nurse Betsy Flood, “we had prepared for this. We knew what we were doing. And they had this kind of calm, that, it was like, Well, they say it’s going to be OK. It’ll be good. We know what we are doing. We’re smart. We’ve practiced. Let’s go.”
They did what first responders always do: They strode calmly and deliberately toward the crisis, not away from it. The lessons learned were invaluable. Other aspects of the medical center became involved. Global partnerships were established. Papers were written. Nebraska protocols declared good as gold.
In Dallas, two nurses who hadn't had this specialized training became infected with Ebola (they were treated and cured). But in Omaha, the team conducted its work without incident, with flying colors. The Nebraska Biocontainment Unit team was lauded with international headlines, earned praise from President Barack Obama.
A mid-sized Midwestern city had become a global epicenter for biopreparedness. The team members seemed to echo a common theme: Yes, there was that element of adrenaline. You might even call it fear. But once they saw the patient in person it all melted away. What they saw was someone who needed care. And that’s what they do. That’s why they drill. That’s how the vision held strong for all those years. As the first patient with Ebola rode in an ambulance on the way to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, Kate Boulter, a nurse, looked down into his eyes. She told him the team was ready. That he would receive the best care.
He was grateful. “Welcome to Nebraska,” she said.
COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020 and rapidly spread across the globe, GCHS, UNMC, and Nebraska Medicine once again found themselves at the forefront of a major public health response. Building on the expertise, infrastructure, and partnerships developed through previous outbreaks, including the Ebola crisis, these institutions were called upon by the U.S. government to provide critical support during an unprecedented global emergency.
In February 2020, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine activated two nationally recognized assets: the National Quarantine Unit, the nation's only federally funded quarantine facility, and the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, the largest biocontainment facility in the United States. Together, these specialized units received and safely cared for 57 Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, the initial epicenter of the outbreak, as well as 13 U.S. citizens repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. These early operations demonstrated the nation's ability to safely transport, quarantine, monitor, and care for individuals potentially exposed to a highly infectious disease while protecting healthcare workers and the surrounding community.
As the pandemic evolved, GCHS expanded its role beyond clinical response to support education, training, research, and public health preparedness efforts both nationally and internationally. In collaboration with UNMC's College of Public Health and numerous state, federal, and global partners, GCHS developed specialized training programs, virtual learning opportunities, and evidence-based resources to help healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, emergency managers, and policymakers respond to the challenges posed by COVID-19. These efforts helped strengthen preparedness, promote best practices in infection prevention and control, and support a more coordinated response to one of the most significant public health crises of the modern era.
Andes Virus (Hantavirus) Response
In early May 2026, federal partners again turned to Nebraska Medicine and UNMC to support the nation’s response to a potential infectious disease threat. Following a hantavirus outbreak associated with passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, U.S. citizens returning from the voyage required safe monitoring and public health oversight. Drawing on decades of experience in high-consequence infectious disease preparedness and response, Nebraska Medicine and UNMC rapidly mobilized resources and personnel to assist federal authorities in protecting both the travelers and the public.
Working in close coordination with the Douglas County Health Department, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and federal health agencies, response teams developed and implemented a comprehensive plan to receive, transport, and monitor exposed individuals. Passengers were housed in the NQU where they could be safely accommodated and observed throughout the monitoring period. The operation highlighted the strength of Nebraska’s established infectious disease response infrastructure and the value of longstanding partnerships among healthcare, public health, emergency management, and government stakeholders.
The successful mission reinforced Nebraska’s unique role as a national resource for infectious disease preparedness and response. Through careful planning, rigorous safety protocols, and the dedication of clinical, operational, and support staff, the response ensured that potentially exposed travelers received appropriate care and monitoring while minimizing risk to the broader community.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen praised the collaborative effort and recognized the commitment of the many professionals involved in the operation. He highlighted the willingness of Nebraska’s healthcare and public health community to respond when called upon during times of uncertainty and crisis.
“What should be really reassuring to all of America is that Nebraskans stand ready to address the next difficult, highly infectious, deadly disease,” Gov. Pillen said. “No matter what the risk is, Nebraskans run to it, not away from it.”
The response served as another example of UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, and the Global Center for Health Security’s ongoing commitment to advancing national preparedness and supporting public health emergencies through expertise, innovation, and collaboration.