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The pandemic accelerated a shift to more outpatient or same-day surgeries and sped the expansion of telehealth, among other changes, Nebraska health care leaders say.
We all have our headaches — literal and figurative — but health care in the Heartland is something special. And it's something that's evolving all the time. That's why, starting today, we are pleased to launch Health Matters in the Heartland.
Suicide deaths in Nebraska dropped in the immediate wake of the pandemic. But, experts say rates often drop following major disasters, such as the 2019 floods in Nebraska, before experiencing an uptick.
Joanna Halbur of Project Harmony, a child advocacy center in Omaha, said noticeable changes in a child's behavior -- such as a normally outgoing child who is more reserved -- can be signs of anxiety or depression.
Nebraska has reached a "cultural crisis point" in mental health availability, experts say, as long waitlists and a shortage in providers persist.
Just before the COVID pandemic broke out, the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Global Center for Health Security received a grant from the federal CDC to strengthen infection control training, education and tools.
The pandemic forced medical professionals, including Nebraska-based researchers and physicians, to innovate. Some innovations likely will be around for good.
Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said hospitals still are seeing a staff vacancy rate of somewhere between 10% and 15%, with some as high as 20%.
The percentage of visits still being done via telehealth is much lower than in the early months of the pandemic. Experts are evaluating its future applications.
The health system wants to set up an Intelligence Center that would provide virtual nurses to help rural hospitals with staffing issues.
The data reported by public health agencies in Nebraska has ebbed and flowed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seven Nebraska organizations formed to take better care of their patients' health and reduce costs all performed better than the U.S. average on satisfaction and quality measures.
Older Americans now can join, switch or drop a Medicare plan or change Medicare Part D drug coverage or Medicare Advantage plans for the coming year.
Simulation centers and high-tech mannequins let Nebraska doctors and medical students practice procedures before they attempt them on real people.
A Omaha mom who specializes in 3D imaging arranged to get a 3D rendering of the scans of her son's brain so her husband could see where the boy's tumor was situated.
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report found that the prices for more than 1,200 prescription medications increased an average of 31.6% from July 2021 to July 2022.
While patient surges linked to the pandemic have at times caused acute issues with hospital capacity, wider issues have exacerbated a more chronic problem that existed before COVID-19 hit.
Twenty health care and educational organizations in Nebraska have formed a collaborative to address Nebraska's health care workforce shortage.
From flooding to drought to infectious diseases, the adverse health effects of climate change already are evident in Nebraska, experts say. And they warn that 'those changes will only get greater.'
