In what UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., called a “historic day,” the principal parties representing Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents and Clarkson Regional Health Service added their signatures to the final governance integration documents that will formally create Nebraska Medicine.
“These documents create a clear and a transformational vision for our future,” Dr. Gold said at the signing ceremony, which was held Tuesday.
Video: See comments from the signing event here.
“The overwhelming response by our clinical faculty is indicative of the strong support for this governance agreement,” he said.
The signing formally extended the interim management agreement established in 2014. After functioning very effectively as a clinical enterprise under the Nebraska Medicine name for more than two years, Tuesday’s signing marks the final formal step in the creation of Nebraska Medicine.
“This further solidifies and validates the success we’ve had the last 2-and-a-half years as Nebraska Medicine,” said Brad Britigan, M.D., interim president of Nebraska Medicine and dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. “It’s been a great partnership that will continue to serve as the foundation for outstanding futures for both UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.”
The signing represented “the perseverance and dedication of those who have made this day possible,” said Dr. Gold, who is also the chair of the Nebraska Medicine board. “It creates the connection to the legacy of the great institutions on which our community depends and will increasingly depend upon in the future.
“The historic governance integration is now almost complete,” he said. “And when the ink dries on these papers … it will be finalized. The events of today do not represent an end. They represent just a beginning — the continuation of a historic and wonderful legacy of two great parent institutions who together now continue on a remarkable journey.”
Bruce Lauritzen, a senior member of the Clarkson Regional Health Services Board who participated in the signing, said the future was “extraordinarily bright” for Nebraska Medicine.
“This is an incredible investment in medical technology and the future for our state, our region and perhaps even our country,” he said. “I wish all of you the very best who are going to be working here, because as these buildings get done and this environment continues to expand, I think you’ll be thrilled at what’s capable of being done.”
Regent Jim Pillen, who also signed the agreement, offered congratulations to the teams who worked to finalize the agreements.
“We’re now one Nebraska Medicine,” he said. “It is a great day to be a Nebraskan . . . Nebraska Medicine’s future is going to be extraordinary.”