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 hit.
Hospital leaders from North Platte to the Metro say the stresses of the pandemic and worker shortages have come to a head. Nowhere is that strain more obvious than in packed ERs and ICUs.
"We could see a doubling of hospitalizations due to COVID in Nebraska over the next two to three weeks," said Hospital Association president Jeremy Nordquist
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Nebraska hospital officials warned Monday that the hourslong wait times seriously ill patients in smaller hospitals are already enduring until they can be transferred to a larger hospital will only get worse if virus cases continue to surge at their current pace.