April 18, 2005

Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

I recently had the opportunity to give a presentation to some of our state’s leading students, experts and educators on Nebraska’s unique approach to homeland security and bioterrorism preparedness. I suspect that few Nebraskans know how extensive our model for homeland security is.

Nebraska has been working to address the challenges presented by threats to our security and the Nebraska Model was developed to guide the complex process of ensuring the safety of thousands of Nebraska families. The Nebraska Model is an integrated, coordinated and comprehensive approach to homeland security preparedness.

We have not only included emergency management, military, fire and law enforcement officials, but also our health care community, state and local agencies, as well as agriculture, transportation and public health officials. In addition, we have sought out experts in Nebraska’s private sector and academic community to ensure we are ready to respond in any situation.

Each state has different needs in planning for emergency preparedness. As a state firmly rooted in agriculture and a hub for the nation’s trucking and railroad industries, ensuring the safety of our food supply and the security of our transportation systems are top priorities. However, much attention has been focused on developing response plans in the event of a public health emergency or bioterror attack.

Our ability to work together at the highest levels of government and academia is what has helped make our Nebraska Model so successful. The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) has been an incredibly valuable partner in many successful public health projects with the state, and federal officials have watched our progress with interest. Additionally, UNMC and Creighton University Medical Center have partnered to form an educational consortium.

The partnership between UNMC and the state in this area can be traced to the mid-1990s, when the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory was created. UNMC became the first academic medical center in the nation to totally integrate a state’s medical tests with a hospital laboratory. Since then, this laboratory has reached out to cooperate with small rural hospitals and labs. It has also been a national leader in the effort to improve testing for biological and chemical agents with potential to threaten the well-being of our citizens.

Most recently, I was honored to host Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when she came to Omaha in March for the ribbon-cutting of Nebraska’s new biocontainment unit. The 10-bed unit is the first of its kind in the U.S. and is Nebraska’s latest achievement in the cooperative effort to improve preparedness for public health emergencies.

The biocontainment unit is equipped to safely care for people exposed to highly contagious and dangerous diseases. It protects those on the outside and gives our state the ability to isolate and safely treat anyone exposed to a highly infectious disease.

During her visit, I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Gerberding about our progress in emergency preparedness, as well as the many ways our Nebraska Model has led to improved communication, an expanded public health infrastructure, and a more efficient use of resources. She seemed eager to share our method of planning and collaboration with other leaders and described our state as a model for the nation.

Our achievements in recent years have come about because of a clear dedication by all those involved in providing the best protection for our citizens. Chances are, most Nebraskans will never know how diverse our response capabilities truly are, but because of the work of so many across this state, we can say that Nebraska is better equipped and better prepared to respond than ever before.