Studies indicate that Nebraskans are healthier than a majority of other states’ residents. When we do become ill, we benefit from world-class healthcare facilities and health care costs that are below the national average.

Omaha invests in good health. The Chamber works closely with the local medical community to ensure its inclusion in the area’s economic development efforts. Throughout Greater Omaha, new and renovated health care facilities abound. Alegent Health’s Lakeside Hospital, which opened in the fall of 2004, is a full-service facility that is one of the first in the nation to employ “paperless” medical and information technologies.

Methodist Hospital is the first hospital in Nebraska to attain Magnet status, the gold standard of nursing excellence awarded to less than 2 percent of the nation's hospitals. They also broke ground on the first women's hospital in the region. Located at 192nd Street and West Dodge Road, this five-story structure will include 116 beds, all private rooms, family space, green space and hotel-style room service.

Proudly serving children since 1948, Children's Hospital in Omaha is the only full-service, pediatric health care center in Nebraska, providing expertise in more than 30 pediatric specialty services to children and families across a five-state region. The 142-bed, non-profit hospital houses the only dedicated pediatric emergency department in the region and offers 24-hour, in-house services by pediatric critical care specialists. Children's is in the midst of an expansion, constructing the new Specialty Pediatric Center at the southwest corner of 84th Street and West Dodge Road, adjacent to the main hospital. The center will provide expanded space for pediatric outpatient specialty care and services. Project completion is planned for 2010. Children's Hospital earned Magnet designation for nursing excellence in 2006.

The city is fortunate to have two academic health-science institutions, the Creighton University Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), whose graduates have earned national reputations. The two institutions have produced groundbreaking biomedical research. Both have impressive research centers.

Programs and research initiated in Omaha affect the daily lives of people throughout the world.

UNMC's Durham Research Center features 116 research laboratories that attract top-quality scientists to engage in biomedical research with the potential to cure diseases of all kinds. The Lied Transplant Center is a pioneer in introducing cooperative patient care, research and education under one roof for transplant patients. Cooperative Care uses the patient's family and friends as part of care during treatment and recovery. The Lied serves as a national model for solid organ and bone marrow transplant programs.

Creighton University’s Integrated Science Center is a national model for fostering interdisciplinary learning and collaboration among students and faculty at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. The complex includes the Hixson-Lied Science Building and the Rigge and Criss buildings.