‘This operation has been life-changing’: Lincoln gets a cochlear implant surgeon

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – After nearly 20 years without one, Lincoln finally has another Cochlear implant surgeon.

Previously, patients would have to travel to Omaha to get the procedure.

Dr. Jesse Schmid is a Nebraska native, hailing from Alliance.

He and his wife studied in Missouri for five years, but they’ve returned to provide Lincoln with a much-needed service at CHI Health.

If hearing aids just aren’t doing the job anymore, cochlear implants can dramatically decrease the loss of hearing.

“This operation has been life-changing,” one of Schmid’s patients, Laverne Stetson, said with tears in his eyes.

If you qualify for a cochlear implant, insurance will cover it entirely.

“Maybe only like 1% of people who are candidates actually get an implant because people just don’t know about it,” Schmid said.