Nebraska
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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Copyright 2025 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
UNMC teams with Central Nebraska Health Departments to assess needs, test water after March wildfires
Nebraska
$22,000 2by2 winning ticket sold in Grand Island
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) – A Grand Island lottery player is holding a winning ticket worth $22,000, according to the Nebraska Lottery.
Officials said one ticket purchased for the Monday, June 22 2by2 drawing matched all four winning numbers to claim the game’s top prize.
The Nebraska Lottery confirmed the ticket was sold at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, 118 Wilmar Ave. in Grand Island.
The winning numbers for the June 22 drawing were Red 10 and 18, and White 17 and 23.
Nebraska Lottery officials noted winning lottery tickets expire 180 days after the drawing, and prizes of $20,000 or more must be claimed in person at Nebraska Lottery headquarters in Lincoln. More information on claiming prizes is available at nelottery.com or by calling 800-587-5200.
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Copyright 2026 KSNB. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
‘No room for error’: UNMC reflects as quarantine ends for hantavirus cruise ship passengers
After 42 days in quarantine, the last of the hantavirus cruise ship passengers have gone home.
Leaders at the University of Nebraska Medical Center said the experience offered lessons for the next quarantine unit activation and “showed what Nebraska is all about.”
“It’s a long activation period, and over those six weeks, there’s really no room for error,” said Dr. Michael Wadman, chair of the National Quarantine Unit.
Eighteen American passengers from a cruise ship that saw a hantavirus outbreak arrived at UNMC on May 11. Their quarantine in Omaha was part of a nationally coordinated effort to assess, contain and treat any potential infections.
Late last week, UNMC was down to six of the original 18 passengers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested that passengers remain in quarantine through May 31. But symptoms of hantavirus can take up to 42 days to appear, so all passengers were “strongly encouraged” to stay through June 21.
Hantavirus is an illness typically tied to rodents, but it may have passed from human to human aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Three ship passengers died from the disease.
Wadman said the quarantine unit aims to “constantly improve,” so UNMC leaders listened closely to the needs and experiences of those under quarantine.
“None of us can say we know what it’s like, and we want that feedback, so that we can do better every time we activate,” Wadman said. “The people in Nebraska also stepped up.”
Local restaurants delivered food. Nearby schools sent cards. Omaha Steaks grilled out in the parking lot, and online support rolled in.
Lessons learned in Nebraska will be shared with other regional treatment centers, said Angela Vasa, director of isolation and quarantine for special pathogens at Nebraska Medicine. That includes mental wellness forums for those in quarantine and improved day-to-day operations.
With the hantavirus quarantine coming to a close, Vasa said UNMC is keeping a close eye on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. No cases have been reported in the United States.
“At this time, we don’t have an official request or an active request to accept any individuals exposed to Ebola virus disease or Bundibugyo virus,” Vasa said, “but our team is ready, and we maintain that readiness through our training, our drills, and so should the need arise, our team would be able to respond in in response to that request.”
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