OMAHA - Nebraska Medicine activated its crisis plan Thursday for the first time in the health system's history in the face of a growing demand for health care and a shortage of staff to provide it.
In an effort to combat the anticipated continued surge of COVID cases, Dr. James Linder, Nebraska Medicine's CEO, has enacted crisis standards. This best allows the Omaha-based health system to accommodate the additional health care needs expected to accompany the latest wave of cases.
Nebraska Medicine is among a number of health systems across the county to enact a similar plan. To make matters worse, roughly 24% of U.S. hospitals report a "critical staffing shortage," according to data reported Saturday to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"We’ve not yet reached the COVID-19 spike in our community, and (the crisis plan) positions us to respond to any spikes in the number of cases we have to care for in the community and do so in a safe manner," Linder said.
Activation of the crisis plan allows the health system increased flexibility to redeploy staff, limit non-urgent services, and modify how resources are distributed.
Nebraska is tallying its highest coronavirus case counts of the pandemic. While omicron appears to be less severe than the delta variant, the sheer number of people it is infecting is expected to lead to higher rates of hospitalization.
A total of 662 Nebraskans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, fueled by the easily transmitted omicron. By Thursday, 399 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the Omaha metro area, a figure approaching the pandemic peak of 445 in November 2020.
In November 2020, health care leaders put together what is now referred to as a "health care crisis protocol" for the state. Health care leaders looked ahead to a time when COVID-19 patients might overwhelm the state's health care system in an effort to create the protocol.
Jeannette Wojtalewicz, CHI Health's interim CEO, said "We are entering into a critical phase."
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