OMAHA- The City of Omaha plans to contribute $93 million over the next decade to support an all-hazards response center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a planned expansion of the medical campus. There is a $2.6 billion proposal by UNMC and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine.

The project will include a state-of-the-art teaching hospital and federally funded wings to enhance the nation's ability to respond to emergencies such as natural disasters, environmental accidents and highly contagious diseases. The NExT project will create 8,700 high-paying, permanent jobs and 41,000 temporary construction jobs on top of $38 million in annual state tax revenue. It is also projected to have an annual economic impact of $1.3 billion after it opens.

Mayor Jean Stothert says this project will be transformational for Omaha. The project will use money from the city's occupation tax on tobacco and vaping products, designating $4.5 million annually over a decade. The tobacco tax has already helped to pay for Nebraska Medicine's Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. The Nebraska Legislature pledged to devote $300 million in state money toward the project if the federal government and private donors contributed $1.3 billion.

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