Regents approve next step for Project Health

The University of Nebraska has taken a significant step forward to launch the most ambitious public-private partnership in its history.

The NU Board of Regents today 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.

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.

Project Health would be built on the med center's 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's Aksarben area in June 2021.

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 that opened in June 2017.

"Project 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," said NU President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. "This 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."

The public-private partnership project will enable UNMC to further its mission, said UNMC's Interim Chancellor Dele Davies, MD. "To meet both the needs of rural and urban areas of our state, UNMC must grow professional learner enrollment by 20 to 25%," Dr. Davies said. "This will be possible only with significant improvement of our physical environment."

Beyond bolstering UNMC's inpatient clinical education facilities, the project also includes critical space for teaching and research, Dr. Davies said.

"I am delighted by the regents' unanimous support of the project," said James Linder, MD, CEO and board chair of Nebraska Medicine. "The 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."

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

About the University of Nebraska

The University of Nebraska is the state's only public university system, made up of four campuses - UNL, UNO, UNK and UNMC - each with a distinct role and mission. Together the campuses enroll nearly 50,000 students and employ 16,000 faculty and staff who serve the state, nation and world through education, research and outreach. For more information and news from the University of Nebraska, visit www.nebraska.edu/news.