{"id":114054,"date":"2024-08-09T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=114054"},"modified":"2025-04-23T16:24:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T21:24:17","slug":"regents-approve-next-step-for-project-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/08\/09\/regents-approve-next-step-for-project-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Regents approve next step for Project Health"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The University of Nebraska took a significant step forward this week to launch the most ambitious public-private partnership in its history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, the NU Board of Regents approved the program statement outlining initial plans for Project Health, a new $2.19 billion health care facility at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine that will serve as a clinical learning center to train the next generation of health care providers, conduct research and offer clinical trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By approving the program statement, the board authorized spending $50 million in existing philanthropic funds on non-construction design work, essentially launching the project into the design phase. In addition to serving as an ultramodern clinical learning and research environment, Project Health would be the primary in-patient clinical hospital for Nebraska Medicine. More than 550 beds would be in the facility, although not all would be open on Day One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Health would be built on the med center\u2019s main campus on a vacant, 7.5-acre site formerly occupied by JP Lord Elementary School and the Munroe-Meyer Institute, which relocated to Omaha\u2019s Aksarben area in June 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Health is the first phase of Project NExT, a joint effort between UNMC and its primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine. The project would be the largest in university history, exceeding the $370 million Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center that opened in June 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProject Health is a highly ambitious effort which will significantly help rural and urban Nebraska communities maintain a growth trajectory for health professions workforce, highly relevant clinical research and care for generations to come,\u201d said NU President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. \u201cThis first phase is an exciting step forward and we are excited and grateful to work with our many public and private partners to continue to bring our vision to reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public-private partnership project will enable UNMC to further its mission, said UNMC\u2019s Interim Chancellor Dele Davies, MD. \u201cTo meet both the needs of rural and urban areas of our state, UNMC must grow professional learner enrollment by 20 to 25%,\u201d Dr. Davies said. \u201cThis will be possible only with significant improvement of our physical environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond bolstering UNMC\u2019s inpatient clinical education facilities, the project also includes critical space for teaching and research, Dr. Davies said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am delighted by the regents\u2019 unanimous support of the project,\u201d said James Linder, MD, CEO and board chair of Nebraska Medicine. \u201cThe new facility will enable Nebraska Medicine to fulfill our mission as the primary teaching hospital for UNMC and Clarkson College. This will strengthen our ability to educate and train more health science students and deliver the highest quality care to all Nebraskans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campus leaders said the project is expected to increase research opportunities, which further strengthen Nebraska\u2019s rankings and competitiveness as it seeks readmission to the Association of American Universities. It also would replace current facilities that fall short of today\u2019s standards for medical education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other business, the regents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n