OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Nebraska Medicine announced Thursday they are implementing its crisis standards of care plan amid the recent omicron case surge.
The plan helps to guide decisions when the demand for healthcare exceeds availability.
According to a press release from Nebraska Medicine, their leadership team made the decision to enact the plan Thursday because the community’s demand for healthcare currently exceeds available resources.
See more information from Nebraska Medicine's press release below.
We are in the first stage of our crisis continuum, which we are activating because of our unwavering commitment to patient safety. We are taking these steps in an effort to hopefully prevent the more difficult decisions that come later in the crisis continuum.
While our Crisis Standards of Care plan is activated, patients may experience some changes from previous appointments or hospital stays. Here are some examples of how patients could be impacted:
· Appointments may be rescheduled
· Fewer appointments available
· Surgeries may be postponed
· Clinical trials may be paused
· Medical students and other staff may be used as support personnel
· Patient transfers may be denied
· Non-patient areas like classrooms or conference rooms may be used for patient care
On Thursday, James Linder, MD, CEO, Harris Frankel, MD, chief medical officer, Cory Shaw, chief operating officer, and Kelly Cawcutt, MD, infectious diseases and critical care physician held a virtual press conference to explain their current state of operations.
Watch below or on our Facebook page.
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