Nebraska Medicine ends crisis standards of care effective Monday

Starting Monday, surgeries and other procedures that were delayed during the crisis plan will begin to resume.

OMAHA, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska Medicine is ending their Crisis Standards of Care plan after it was put into place on Jan. 13 following a surge of Omicron cases.

Starting Monday, they will begin resuming surgeries and other procedures that were delayed during the crisis plan.

This comes as Douglas County begins to see an overall decrease in positive COVID-19 cases throughout the community.

Nebraska Medicine says that not only has the number of hospital staff in isolation and quarantine decreased, so has the demand for hospital beds.

Though they will no longer be in crisis mode, the health system will return to contingency operations, which means changes still may be needed regarding clinical spaces and practices to meet the demand for patient care.

Over the last three weeks, Douglas County saw a peak in the number of recorded COVID-19 cases, and a pandemic-high number of people hospitalized with the virus.

Nebraska Medicine’s restrictions on surgeries and procedures allowed them to better control hospitalizations and prioritize care for those who needed it most during that period.

Staff at the medical center are contacting patients directly and working to reschedule appointments and procedures that were delayed under their Crisis Standards of Care.

Though Crisis Standards of Care is no longer in place, hospital census remains high and the omicron variant continues to be a threat in the community.

Nebraska Medicine reminds patients and their families to continue to be vigilant by properly wearing high-quality masks, practicing good hand hygiene, avoiding crowds, and getting vaccinated or boosted when eligible.