OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The University of Nebraska Medical Center is creating a facility that will give those in health care high-tech visualization and virtual reality tools to teach and learn.
University officials announced the nearly $119 million project on Monday, the Omaha World-Herald (https://bit.ly/2n7b5Us ) reported.
The four-story, 192,000-square-foot building will feature replicas of hospital settings where people can practice on lifelike, computer-driven mannequins. Medical professionals and students will also be able to virtually map a brain tumor or see how a protein folds.
If approved by university’s Board of Regents, the facility will be named the Davis Global Center in recognition of a gift from the Dorothy B. Davis Foundation. Dr. Edwin Davis was a longtime University of Nebraska Medical Center physician known for incorporating new technology to enhance teaching.
The center will house two programs: The Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning, which will allow medical professionals at all stages of their careers to develop and practice their skills together; and the National Center for Health Security and Biopreparedness, a simulation and quarantine center focused on Ebola and other infectious diseases.
“Learners do best by having experience, whether it’s learning how to play a sport, a musical instrument or, in my case, cardiac surgery,” UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold said. “The more experience, the more practice, the more hands-on opportunities we get, the better off we are to deliver high-quality, safe, effective and patient-centered care.”
Gov. Pete Ricketts called the center a “key strategic investment” in the community and in Nebraska. The center is expected to create well-paying jobs and generate about $39.3 million annually in economic impact.
“This is the way health care is going, and we should embrace it,” said Jessica Strickler, clinical educator for some Nebraska Medicine intensive care units. “Hopefully, it can only improve the care that we provide to patients, which is the end goal.”
The facility is expected to open in fall 2018.
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This story has been corrected to show Dr. Edwin Davis was a longtime physician at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, not the Nebraska Medical Center.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, https://www.omaha.com
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