COPH will confront state’s public health problems

Jay Noren, M.D., left, speaks with the media on Thursday about the College of Public Health, of which Dr. Noren is the founding dean, as UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., looks on.

Obesity, diabetes, agriculture-related health problems, pandemic and disaster preparation.

Each of these health issues fall under the scope of UNMC’s new College of Public Health, which medical center leaders on Thursday announced is fully operational.

UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and Jay Noren, M.D., the college’s founding dean, outlined four areas the college will focus on that impact Nebraska’s public health picture. They are:

• Health promotion and disease prevention, which include efforts to prevent obesity, particularly among children;
  
• Enhanced environmental health and safety with agriculture-related issues, such as farm injuries and lung problems from breathing in agricultural dust, being a main point of emphasis;
  
• Efficient and economical health care delivery, which includes reducing health care disparities and health care delivery problems in rural areas; and
  
• Biosecurity and biopreparedness, which includes preparation for a potential avian flu pandemic and/or an act of bioterrorism.

“Our central goal and our faculty expertise, emphasized in these four key areas, seek to enhance the health status of the Nebraska population, and by extension to people beyond the state,” Dr. Noren said.

The work done at the college, UNMC’s first new college since 1968, will benefit Nebraskans of all ages, Dr. Maurer said.

“I believe the College of Public Health will be a tremendous benefit for Nebraska and beyond,” Dr. Maurer said. “A college of public health is different than almost every other college in that a college of public health has to extend across the entire state to all kinds of individuals and experts. It’s not just faculty and students, but hospital administrators, chief medical officers, government and public health systems.”

From childhood obesity rates that exceed the national average to respiratory issues caused by dust from farming operations, Nebraska has its share of public health issues, said Joann Schaeffer, M.D., the state’s chief medical officer.

The College of Public Health offers a forum to effectively confront such issues, Dr. Schaefer said.

“It’s a great day for Nebraska,” she said.

College of Public Health dean Jay Noren, M.D., displays an artist’s rendering of the future College of Public Health building, which UNMC officials hope to see built on 40th street.

UNMC has always done a great job in serving the state’s health needs but one area it was lacking was in public health, said Marty Fattig, CEO of the Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn.

“I’ve worked with the medical center over my 30-plus years in health care and they always had this one void,” Fattig said. “(The College of Public Health) will fill the void.”

A good public health college will translate to a healthier population, which is a key component to a strong economy, said John Kelly, M.D., Ph.D., vice president and chief health and medical officer with Union Pacific Railroad.

“We see this as a very important effort and important to businesses in Nebraska,” Dr. Kelly said. “Good public health is good for business. Better public health is better for business.”