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DOUGLAS COUNTY-UNMC PARTNERSHIP Meeting public health mission

Omaha World-Herald - 5/23/2017

Douglas County's mission to promote public health would seem to justify spending $5 million in county funds on a new, cutting-edge medical simulation center.

The proposed commitment of $500,000 a year to the University of Nebraska Medical Center project from 2022 to 2031 would advance the county's public health mission. The $119 millionDavis Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning uses virtual reality and other advanced simulation technology to improve the education and practices of health care workers regionally and worldwide.

The Davis Global Center should help inexperienced doctors make fewer mistakes when they work with actual patients, decrease risks to patients undergoing new procedures and expand local and regional access to medical talent.

The local return on this public and private investment seems promising - half of the project's cost comes from private donors, with the rest from the State of Nebraska and the City of Omaha. The county's contributions would help UNMC pay off bonds that finance the center's construction.

County doctors and staff can benefit from access to the simulation equipment and from new ways to communicate and train with experts elsewhere, UNMC Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold said.

For these reasons and more, the Davis Global Center is a strong investment for Douglas County - a lot of bang for $5 million.