The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is set to pioneer a groundbreaking facility dedicated to the air transport of individuals with highly infectious diseases. This innovative training center, a first in its kind, aims to equip healthcare and military personnel with the necessary skills to handle such delicate situations.
Friday marked a significant milestone as elected officials, alongside representatives from UNMC and the U.S. Air Force, gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Infectious Disease Air Transport (IDAT) facility. This facility is designed to ensure that personnel are prepared to safely transport patients affected by high-consequence infectious diseases.
University of Nebraska System President Jeffrey Gold emphasized the importance of being prepared in today’s unpredictable geopolitical climate. “It is absolutely critically important that we are ready, particularly in an era of geopolitical uncertainty that continues to progress in many different dimensions – multiple nuclear adversaries, at a time that artificial intelligence creates the possibility of weaponizing agents as quickly and inexpensively as has ever been possible,” Gold stated. “The time is right, the place is here, and the people are here, as well.”
Coinciding with the groundbreaking ceremony was the launch of the Office for the Advancement of Military Medicine. This office will spearhead new efforts in biodefense, military medicine, and partnerships between civilian and military health sectors.
Esteemed attendees at the event included Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, Sen. Deb Fischer, and 2nd District Rep. Don Bacon, along with Omaha Mayor John Ewing. They all praised the IDAT facility for reinforcing Omaha and UNMC’s position as leaders in global health security and biodefense. “We are the home of global health security,” Gov. Pillen asserted. “Nobody in the world does it better. And this is another extraordinary extension to take it to a whole ‘nother level.”
The planning for this state-of-the-art facility began in 2023, with the University of Nebraska Board of Regents giving the green light to the design plan earlier this year. Construction costs will be covered by various federal funding sources, as documented in board minutes.
Training at the IDAT facility will be spearheaded by the U.S. Air Force’s Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS). Established in 2018, C-STARS is a joint venture between UNMC’s Global Center for Health Security and the Air Force’s School of Aerospace Medicine.
U.S. Air Force Col. Elizabeth Schnaubelt, the Director of C-STARS, highlighted the success of the collaboration. “When C-STARS was first established in 2018, we brought Air Force medical professionals to one of the best biocontainment units in the country and across the globe – and it was to embed ourselves alongside experts in this field, and to bring that expertise to our military members to build a symbiotic relationship,” she said. “Over the past years, we’ve grown because the people within this partnership have consistently been committed to our shared mission and willing to ask a very important question: What do we need to be ready for next?”
The IDAT facility will feature a C-130 aircraft fuselage, a Boeing C-17 mockup platform, and a Negatively Pressurized Conex Lite unit—an advanced shipping container with an air filtration system for air transport. Trainees will practice procedures using the equipment and aircraft they might encounter in real-world scenarios when transporting individuals exposed to infectious diseases.
Set to open in late 2027, the facility will be located on a current UNMC-owned parking lot near 40th and Mason streets.
