LIVE: Nebraska hospital leaders to highlight critical health care issues, call for policy action

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) and the Nebraska Rural Health Association (NeRHA) will provide an overview of the 2025-26 Roadmap to Strong Rural Health Care during a press conference on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

The NHA and NeRHA will be joined by Nebraska hospital leaders and state senators to highlight state and federal issues important to the future of rural health care in the state.

You can watch the news conference when it begins in the video player above.

Rural hospitals make up about 35 percent of all hospitals nationally, and over 68 percent of hospitals in Nebraska, according to a joint press release from NHA and NeRHA. More than 41 percent of those are at risk of closure.

In addition, Nebraska has more rural residents living at least 25 minutes away from an ambulance than all but two other states. About 16 percent of Nebraska mothers must travel at least 30 minutes to find a maternal care provider, about twice the national rate, and more than half of Nebraska’s counties are considered maternity deserts.

NHA and NeRHA said 85 of Nebraska’s rural communities are considered medically underserved areas for primary care services alone. Projections show that Nebraska will experience a workforce shortage of over 5,000 nurses in 2025.

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