Nebraska
Migrants can help address Nebraska’s health care shortage • Nebraska Examiner
Nebraska is at risk of becoming a health care desert. Thirty counties currently lack hospitals, staff and infrastructure serving the rural population. At the same time, many of the hospitals we do have lack nurses and rely on hiring traveling labor from other states, which is costly. It’s estimated Nebraska needs to hire 5,435 nurses to fill this gap.
This is affecting Nebraskans’ health outcomes, especially in the areas of maternal health, primary care and end-of-life care. But there is an obvious solution: welcoming more skilled migrant health care workers.
Migrants play an essential role at all levels of the health care ecosystem — and they are vital when foreign patients face linguistic and sociocultural challenges. Nebraska is home to a growing and diversified migrant population. In 2021, nearly 143,000 of the state’s residents were foreign born. A portion of these workers were heath care workers in their home countries, yet cannot work in their field in the United States.
As it stands, foreign-educated nurses, nurse aides and physicians must undertake lengthy exams and training in order to work here. For nurses, Nebraska requires the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools exam, followed by the National Council Licensure Examination. Foreign-trained physicians, meanwhile, are often required to pass up to three U.S. Medical Licensing Exams and re-complete a residency program.
Most international medical physicians must also apply for an H-1B or J-1 visa in order to come to the United States and enroll in residency programs. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer programs are sponsoring these visas due to cost and time requirements. Even when successful, these processes can take years for workers and their spouses, delaying the start of training.
While most immigration policy is made at the federal level, Nebraska does have tools to address this situation.
The Nebraska State Boards and hospitals could remove some of the requirements for foreign-trained doctors and nurses. Many of these policies are set at the state board level, giving our health care leaders flexibility to address the shortage. New Mexico, Oregon, Arizona, Utah and New York, for example, have already eliminated the CGFNS exam for nurses.
Boards could also issue more temporary restricted licenses for foreign-trained physicians and allow them to work in rural areas without them having to re-complete a residency program. Many states have begun relaxing requirements and issuing temporary licenses to allow physicians to work in rural areas — and Illinois and Tennessee have passed legislation to allow foreign physicians a pathway to permanent licensure.
Nebraska’s congressional representatives should put pressure on federal agencies to accelerate the visa granting process for foreign trained workers and their spouses. This would reduce the financial and emotional burden placed on families and more quickly staff positions in which health care labor is needed.
Finally, to assess key challenges and progress over the long term, a consortium is needed, with relevant public and private sector collaboration to address the issue of foreign-trained skilled health care workers going forward.
To be sure, foreign-trained health care workers do not have the same educational background as U.S.-trained staff. While this is a valid concern, frequent training once on the job could assure that staff stay up-to-date with advances and clinical guidelines. This is already a regular practice for traveling nurses and physicians, who receive training when they switch hospitals to stay up to speed. The same could be done with migrant health care workers, which would be more economical than hiring costly traveling health care workers.
Critics might also point to the linguistic barrier that foreign staff may face. On the contrary, these workers would be a tremendous linguistic and cultural asset to the care of our growing migrant patient population.
While the majority of the immigration narrative focuses on undocumented migrants, it is important to remember that skilled legal migrants also face difficulties and sometimes prejudice during their process toward being legally allowed to work in the United States. As Nebraska’s health care system suffers due to a lack of skilled workers, it is imperative that we incorporate more skilled health care migrants into the workforce so we don’t become a health care desert.
These changes will require collaboration between government and the private sector, as well as a reduction in the stigma typically associated with foreign-trained workers and migrants. But the opportunity exists – we only have to be brave enough to pursue it.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Legalizing online sports betting has met with resistance in the Nebraska Legislature for years.
Tax Relief Nebraska, a group backed by Nebraska casinos and online sports betting groups, took the issue to the people of the state through a petition drive.
Those petitions are now in, and casino officials say they expect to have enough signatures to make the November ballot — but also expect pushback through Election Day.
The case for online betting
Currently, legal sports bets cannot be placed on a phone in Nebraska. Casino operators say people who choose to wager are finding other ways to do it.
“They’re just doing it illegally through a virtual private network, or they’re driving over to the first exit between Iowa and Nebraska, placing a bet and then driving back to their home,” said Lynne McNally of Warhorse Casino.
Nebraska casino operators say the state has already collected millions of dollars in state taxes and property tax relief from casino gambling, and that online sports betting would add to that total.
A majority of Nebraskans voted for casino gambling to enter the state in 2020, and casino operators expect similar support if the online betting petition makes the November ballot.
“As you know, we got 65% on the constitutional amendment and actually got nearly 70% on the tax portion of the statute when the casinos were legalized in 2020. I think that we’ll be in that area, if not maybe a little higher than that,” McNally said.
“There’s always going to be a sector of the public that doesn’t want to gamble. They don’t want to go to our facilities and that’s just fine. I guess I have an objection with trying to tell other people what to do,” McNally said.
The opposition
The Nebraska Family Alliance stands against online gambling and plans to campaign against the initiative across the state. The nonprofit group issued a statement that reads in part: “Online sports betting has been a massive public policy failure that benefits national sportsbooks at the expense of kids, student-athletes, families and businesses. While they have more money, they don’t have the truth.”
Pat Loontjer, director of Gambling with the Good Life, has opposed expanded gambling in Nebraska for 30 years.
“They’re telling the same lie — property tax relief. Well in Nebraska you say property tax relief and everybody says where do I sign,” Loontjer said.
Loontjer also raised concerns about the impact on young people.
“Sports betting on the phone is the most addictive thing for young people, young men especially. You’ve got kids that are going to lose their scholarships, lose their future,” Loontjer said.
What comes next
If enough signatures are verified and the issue is placed on the November ballot, Warhorse Casino officials say Nebraskans could be able to make sports bets on their phones by spring of next year.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Along with marching in the parade, the high schools will tour the U.S. Capitol, visit Mount Vernon and other monuments and museums.
Around 80 Grand Island students are making the trip. Lee said the students cover their own costs, with fundraising largely run though the school’s booster program helping offset the expense.
Bishop Neumann’s 53 students benefited from community donations, along with a holiday greenery sale and fundraisers, which Kellett said helped cover airfare and other costs.
For both directors, the trip carries extra weight tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“That’s a pretty big milestone,” Lee said. “And to be able to be a part of that is pretty neat.”
Kellett said the moment will stay with students long after the parade ends.
“These kids, they’ll be around for the 300th anniversary of the country, and they’ll be able to look back and tell their grandkids, ‘you know, I was there at 250 and was able to march in the National Independence Day Parade,’” Kellett said.
Both bands have spent the summer preparing. Grand Island started working on its music after its final spring concert in May, rehearsing its marching and music together on Tuesday evenings.
Bishop Neumann has rehearsed continuously over the summer and marched in two parades to prepare, a 150th anniversary celebration in Weston and the Papillion Days parade.
Kellett said the band’s last rehearsal in Wahoo drew residents who lined the streets holding signs and cheering the students on.
“The students have come in, and they’ve worked really hard,” Kellett said. “They have their music memorized and they’ve worked on their marching skills, and so all that effort into this they’re ready to go for the parade.”
The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. CT Saturday at Third Street and Constitution Avenue.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Like his father, Zack Erstad is a Husker. Erstad, the son of Hall of Fame baseball player Darin Erstad, joined the Nebraska men’s golf program on Tuesday.
Zack signed with the Huskers one month after winning a state championship at Lincoln East. With the Spartans, Erstad was a two-time NSAA champion. He was Class A’s individual runner-up in 2026. The previous year, Erstad claimed the Nebraska Junior PGA Championship title.
Erstad said joining the Huskers is a dream come true. The Nebraska newcomer grew up playing baseball and hockey. However, he focused solely on golf while in high school.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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