Creighton University has announced that it is constructing a $75 million health sciences building that will provide a new front door to the west side of the Omaha, Neb., campus.
The university says that a major donation from C.L. and Rachel Werner will result in construction of the C.L. Werner Center for Health Sciences Education. The facility will serve as a new home for the School of Medicine and will include shared spaces for each of the university’s health sciences schools and colleges.
“I am forever grateful to C.L. and Rachel for their generosity, and I am humbled by the faith they have placed in Creighton to transform health sciences education,” says Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, president of Creighton.
Creighton expects to break ground on the 115,000-square-foot building in summer 2021. The project will create 1,070 jobs during building construction, with a $3.2 billion impact on state and local taxes. It is projected to open in fall 2023.
A $10 million renovation of the adjacent Criss Complex will bring the total project cost to $85 million.
The new facility will feature a centralized interdisciplinary simulation center and active group classrooms, bringing together medical, nursing, physician assistant, pharmacy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavioral health and other students to train and learn with—and from—each other.
“This cutting-edge facility will offer Creighton health sciences students an ideal place to work and learn as one,” says Robert Dunlay, dean of the School of Medicine. “The challenges of health care require teamwork. Our students will graduate as the clinic-ready health care leaders we need to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care.”
About 5,900 students, faculty and staff will use the building each year. The new facility will provide health sciences with more efficient space, resulting in an annual cost savings of $700,000.
