вЂњThese funds will come out of those budgets that weвЂ™ve had for years and years, which is like one-tenth of 1 percent of our total expenses.вЂќ вЂњWe have money set aside every year for marketing,вЂќ he said. Others wondered how CHI Health, a nonprofit, can afford a naming rights contract worth millions of dollars.Д¬HI Health said the funding will come from the health systemвЂ™s marketing budget and does not pull dollars from other areas of health care operations.ДЄnd it wonвЂ™t affect the cost of health care for patients, Robertson said. The CHI Health Center Omaha name is effective Sept. вЂњSo we donвЂ™t think itвЂ™ll be a big issue.вЂќ вЂњAs we started to think about it, we thought, well, how many folks that are going to come to the Elton John concert in February really think theyвЂ™re going to be going to a hospital or would be confused in that way?вЂќ he said. Robertson said officials talked internally about potential confusion. It takes about 2ВЅ years for an arenaвЂ™s new name to sink into peopleвЂ™s consciousness, Phani Tej Adidam, a professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, has said. вЂњThereвЂ™s going to be a transition period, but I think itвЂ™s going to be a short one,вЂќ said Roger Dixon, MECAвЂ™s president and CEO. Officials shrugged off the notion that people may confuse the venue for a hospital. Still another: вЂњI hope if my doctor tells me I have to go to the CHI Health Center (Omaha), itвЂ™s for a great concert. вЂњHey, letвЂ™s go see a concert at a hospital!вЂќ another wrote.

вЂњSounds like IвЂ™d be going for a colonoscopy, not a concert.вЂќ вЂњHate the name,вЂќ one person posted on Twitter. Some early reviews were negative, with people posting on social media that the new name sounded like a hospital or medical center. вЂњWeвЂ™re now connected through this facility.вЂќ Cliff Robertson, chief executive of CHI Health. вЂњCHI Health and Creighton are two Omaha powerhouses,вЂќ said Dr. The arena already has a significant connection to Creighton: It is home to Creighton basketball. Headquartered in Omaha, CHI Health is part of Catholic Health Initiatives, a national nonprofit health system based in the Denver area.Д¬HI Health operates Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy and other hospitals in the metro area. MECA board chairwoman Diane Duren and board members Jay Noddle and Tom Kelley voted to approve the agreement.Д«oard members Susie Buffett and Dana Washington were absent. The Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority board voted 3-0 on Wednesday to approve the deal. ThatвЂ™s the new name for the CenturyLink Center, which was originally the Qwest Center.ДЄnd no, itвЂ™s not a hospital or health care facility - itвЂ™s the same arena and convention center in downtown Omaha.Д¬HI Health bought the naming rights under a 20-year agreement worth $23.6 million. Get ready for basketball games, concerts and other events at the new CHI Health Center Omaha.

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