Rural hospitals face challenges amid COVID-19 pandemic

The biggest obstacle smaller facilities face is a lack of equipment.

While rural communities in Nebraska haven’t seen an influx of COVID–19 patients, hospitals still have to be prepared for what might come.

The Nebraska Hospital Association has been holding weekly webinars to talk through any kind of questions rural facilities might have. Even though every healthcare worker is facing the same virus, their struggles are very different. A prime example, their stock in personal protective equipment.

“When they decided not to have elective surgery, larger places had more on hand while small and rural facility just didn’t have enough in house,” Margaret Woeppel with the Nebraska Hospital Association said.

In fact, the number one question they hear is how to safely reuse PPE. They also walk them through scenarios of how to move COVID-19 positive patients, address any safety concerns and what to do should they face a surge.

Through a strong partnership with each hospital, big or small, they are ready to serve every patient.

“It doesn’t matter where they live in Nebraska, how small that hospital is, that hospital is functioning at optimal level right now,” Woeppel said.