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Sept. 2, 2021Lincoln, Neb. |  By: AP

Nebraska reinstates transfer center for crowded hospitals

covid

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska state government is stepping in to help shuffle patients between local hospitals that are dealing with a surge of people with the coronavirus and other health issues.

Gov. Pete Ricketts says the state has partnered with Nomi Health, the creators of the TestNebraska program, to offer call centers that overcrowded hospitals can contact when they need to transfer patients elsewhere.

The around-the-clock call centers will serve as coordinators for in-state hospitals to try to keep them from getting overwhelmed, at a cost of $200,000 a month.

The announcement is another sign that the state is once again struggling with coronavirus cases, even though most of the hospitalizations are patients without the virus.