The design of the new Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center incorporates veteran symbolism throughout the building

A new $86 million project will add 157,000-sf of space to the VA campus in Omaha, Neb. The Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center will allow several outpatient services to move out of the main hospital, which opened in 1950.

Veteran symbolism is incorporated throughout the facility. The north façade is designed to resemble an American flag rippling in the wind and the western façade is lined with differently hued glass panes that evoke the ribbon bars awarded to service members. Separating the public spaces from the secure clinical areas is a limestone wall. It represents security, the foreign soil tracked home on soldiers’ boots, and the periods of conflict and peace through which veterans have served.

VA clinic interior waiting area Courtesy Leo A Daly.

The three-story building will include seven primary-care units, an outpatient surgery suite, a women’s health clinic, and a specialty medicine unit allowing 400 additional outpatients to visit the clinic each day.

The building’s design focuses on patient-centered care and integrates refuge spaces, healing gardens, a labyrinth, positive distractions, access to views and nature, and natural daylight. It is linked to the existing 12-story hospital via an on-grade connector.

Interior VA Ambulatory Care Clinic Courtesy Leo A Daly.

The project is the first to take advantage of the 2016 CHIP IN for Vets Act, a new federal law that allows the VA to accept private donations to complete construction projects. The facility is slated for completion in 2020. McCarthy Construction is the general contractor.

VA clinic exterior northeast during the day Courtesy Leo A Daly.

Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center Design from LEO A DALY on Vimeo.

Rural hospitals present unique opportunities and challenges for healthcare facility operators. Oftentimes, the infrastructure and building systems have not been updated for years and require significant improvements in order to meet today’s modern medical demands. Additionally, as these smaller, more remote hospitals are acquired by larger regional and national healthcare systems, the first step by new ownership is often to update and rehabilitate the building. But how can this be done thoughtfully, economically, and efficiently in ways that allow the engineering and facility staff to adapt to the changes? And how can the updates accurately reflect the specific needs of rural communities and the afflictions with which these areas most commonly face?