April 22, 2009. Bellevue, Neb.

Energy efficiency and environmental responsibility are not just fads for designers and administrators of the Bellevue Medical Center.  Being “green” has been a focus for the project since construction began in May 2007.

Because of these efficiency efforts and its positive impact on the community, Bellevue Mayor Ed Babbitt has proclaimed April 22, Earth Day, as “Bellevue Medical Center Earth Day.”

“The Bellevue Medical Center is an important part of the growth in Bellevue and all of Sarpy County,” said Mayor Babbitt.  “We’re especially proud of the steps the designers and builders are taking to make this new hospital environmentally friendly and efficient.”

When construction is complete in about one year, The Bellevue Medical Center will be one of the most energy efficient hospitals in the Midwest.

“We designed this medical center to be a model of efficiency,” said Bruce Carpenter of HDR, the architectural firm which designed the Bellevue Medical Center.  “The design makes this hospital 20-percent more efficient than conventional hospitals.”

One of the building’s most striking visual features is its ipe (pronounced EE-pay) wood accents and zinc cladding.  These exterior features are designed to be maintenance-free for decades.

Inside, glazed glass makes optimum use of natural light, reducing the need for electric light during the day.  Interior paints, adhesives, flooring and ceiling tiles are all made with low volatile organic compound (VOC) content.  Even casework, such as cabinets and shelving was made with formaldehyde-free particle board. 

The environmental theme continues outside the building as well.  The 20-acre site will be landscaped using native plants and grasses which are already adapted to the local climate.  This will reduce the need for expensive landscaping, watering and upkeep.  The design also incorporates an existing wetland just to the west of the medical center.  A healing garden path winds between the hospital and adjacent medical office building with a view of the wetland.    The garden is designed to give patients and their families a calm place to help ease the anxiety that sometimes comes with a trip to the hospital.  Work crews have taken great care not to disturb the wetland during the planning and construction process.

Aside from its minimal impact on the environment, the Bellevue Medical Center is expected to have a large and positive impact on the local economy.

“This hospital will bring about 500 new jobs to Bellevue,” explained Levi Scheppers, chief financial officer of The Bellevue Medical Center.  “We’re very excited for the day when this hospital opens and begins serving the people of Bellevue and surrounding communities.”

The Bellevue Medical Center will also serve another important function to a much bigger community: the U.S. Air Force.  The medical center is proud to be part of The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s (UNMC) Family Medicine Residency Program.  It is a three-year training program that provides family medicine training for active duty U.S. Air Force physicians.  Approximately 20-percent of the Air Force’s family practice physicians will be trained at The Bellevue Medical Center.  The former training facility was Ehrling Bergquist Hospital at Offutt Air Force Base which closed in 2005.

“All of this will be a great source of pride for the citizens of Bellevue,” said Cindy Arbaugh, project administrator for The Bellevue Medical Center.  “They’ve watched the process grow from the ground up over the past two years. From the thought and precision that’s going into the design and construction, to the hundreds of new jobs the hospital will create, and the excellent medical care that will be available here; there’s a lot to be proud of.”

Arbaugh said the hospital building itself is approximately 55-percent finished.  The project is on track to be completed in early 2010.

“We expect to be treating patients here one year from now,” she said.

The Bellevue Medical Center will open with a capacity of 100 inpatient and observation beds.  It also comes with room to grow; an expansion is planned that will add an additional 100 beds.  All patients will have private rooms.  In addition to general medical services, the hospital will provide labor and delivery care, emergency care, inpatient and outpatient surgery and intensive care.  The medical center will also house state of the art diagnostics: cardiac catheterization labs, radiology, laboratory testing, and pharmacy services.  A helicopter pad located on the roof of the ambulance garage near the emergency department will make urgent patient transports easier.

A three-story medical office building adjacent to hospital will house doctors’ offices and patient clinics.

The $135 million medical center is a joint venture between The Nebraska Medical Center, a group of more than 100 local physician investors and UNMC Physicians, the practice group for UNMC faculty.

With a reputation for excellence, innovation and extraordinary patient care, The Nebraska Medical Center has earned J.D. Power and Associates’ Hospital of Distinction award for inpatient services for four consecutive years.   It is a US News & World Report 2008 “Best Hospital” for Cancer, Neurology and Neurosurgery.  It also received the 2007 Consumer Choice Award, a mark of patient satisfaction as selected by healthcare consumers and has achieved Magnet recognition status for nursing excellence, Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals Performance Improvement Leader recognition, as well as the Award of Progress from the state of Nebraska’s Edgerton Quality Awards Program.  As the teaching hospital for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, this 689 licensed bed academic medical center has an international reputation for providing solid organ and bone marrow transplantation services and is well known nationally and regionally for its oncology, neurology and cardiology programs.  The Nebraska Medical Center can be found online at www.nebraskamed.com