Between 78 and 98 beds will be added to nursing homes in three of Nebraska's largest cities as part of a state program to relieve pressure on facilities amid the COVID-19 surge, the state's Department of Health and Human Services said Jan. 25.
State officials said the beds will be added to facilities in Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island. The first patients will be accepted to the Lincoln facility Feb. 1. Other facilities will begin accepting patients 10 to 14 days after contracts are finalized.
The Hospital Decompression Program is designed to move patients out of hospitals when they no longer require acute care but still need a place to receive care until they are discharged home or until they find a skilled nursing facility.