The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a revised program statement that expands the scope and scale of Project Health during its meeting on Friday.
During the meeting, held at the UNK Regional Engagement Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the Board approved expanding final plans for Project Health, the future primary teaching hospital for the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine.
The revised program statement approved by the board expands the project to a 1.5 million-square-foot facility, up from the 1.25 million square feet originally envisioned. The additional space will accommodate greater patient volumes and anticipated growth in UNMC enrollment and allow for a greater number of beds, spaces for specialized care, and for the retirement of aging facilities, including Clarkson Tower.
Ultimately, the updated scope aims to provide the inpatient, surgical, interventional, laboratory, education, and research capacity needed to support future growth. Together with rising construction costs, the additional space represents an anticipated investment of approximately $500 million beyond the original estimate.
“This investment is certainly significant. But so too is Project Health itself,” said NU System President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “This project is a once-in-a-multigeneration opportunity to expand access to world-class medical care, modernize how we educate and train the next generation of healthcare professionals, and create a clinical economic development platform capable of serving Nebraska long into the future.”
“We are grateful to the Board of Regents for their continued support of Project Health and what it will mean for the people of Nebraska,” said UNMC Chancellor H. Dele Davies. “This is much more than a new hospital. It is an opportunity to transform how we educate the next generation of health professionals, giving students the chance to learn and train alongside multidisciplinary teams in spaces designed for the way healthcare is practiced today. It will also help us advance research and bring new treatments and discoveries to patients, not just in Omaha, but across the entire state. With the support of our partners and donors, we are building something that will serve Nebraskans for generations to come.”
During the meeting, UNK Chancellor Neal Schnoor highlighted several programs fulfilling important workforce needs in Nebraska. Chancellor Schnoor emphasized a new aviation program; 30% growth of the campus’s health sciences pathways over the past six years; a suite of education programs that are preparing the next generation of teachers, counselors and administrators; and the Grow the Good Life program, which builds stronger connections between students and industry.
Sydney Owen, a recent UNK graduate who is now pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree on the campus, is among those who have benefitted from the program.
When Owen began her undergraduate degree, she wasn’t sure what she wanted her major to be. She enrolled in UNK’s College of Business and Technology, and with encouragement from a faculty member, took an accounting course. That course led to others, to internships with both public accounting companies and a private business, and, eventually, to her pursuit of an MBA.
“Now I look forward to working full time,” she said. “My education with the UNK accounting program, together with my experience, has prepared me for my career.”
The board also heard a presentation from the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine Transplant Team, in which Dr. Alan Langnas outlined the history and impact of their work. The team recently celebrated its 10,000th transplant.
For those who receive transplants, the impact is extraordinary, said Bob Matthies of Hastings, who received a kidney transplant nearly 13 months ago after matching with a family friend. That donation, he said, felt like “life had been poured back into me.”
Transplants allow Nebraskans like Matthies to return to work, volunteer and contribute to their families and communities, Dr. Langnas said. Post-transplant, recipients of organ donation also spend far less on medical care than before their transplants.
The result is $1.8 billion in societal and health care savings annually, Dr. Langnas said, citing a report by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach. All told, the economic impact of the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine organ donation program is expected to grow to $5.2 billion by 2028.
“UNMC has been a leader in both bone marrow and solid organ transplantation of kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs and others for decades,” said Dr. Gold. “Countless lives have been saved and transformed because of the expertise, innovation and extraordinary care of our physicians, nurses, researchers and health care professionals. Their work exemplifies what academic medicine means for the people of Nebraska, both now and for thousands of individuals and their families in the years and generations to come.”
Dr. Gold also thanked the Board for their confidence in his leadership and its commitment to the future of the University of Nebraska and the communities it serves.
“We have a fantastic leadership team across the University of Nebraska System,” he said. “It is an honor to work with them to serve Nebraska.”
In other business, the Board:
- Approved a proposal to name the Franchising Program for Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Business the Hogan Franchise Leadership Program;
- Approved a proposal to eliminate the Genome Editing and Education Center in the UNMC’s College of Medicine;
- Approved a proposal to rename the Bachelor of Science in Sport and Recreation Management at University of Nebraska at Kearney the Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, and to change the home department from the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences in the College of Education to the Department of Marketing, Agribusiness and Supply Chain Management in the College of Business and Technology.
- Approved extending President Gold’s contract from June 30, 2029 to June 30, 2032.
- Recognized four staff members from across the NU System with Kudos Awards for exemplary work.