A partnership to free up hospital beds brought Nebraska Medicine and the Douglas County Health Center together. The health center is taking long-term care patients, so the Med Center has beds for those who need more intense care.
The center saves ten beds in the wing for transfers from the Nebraska Medical Center.
It's part of an agreement signed back in March that was meant to help open beds at the hospital by moving patients who need post-acute care.
"I think the relationship with the Douglas County Health Center, I think it's exceeded our expectations," said Dr. Sue Nuss.
Chief nursing officer at Nebraska Med, Nuss said, they've been able to transfer 153 patients to the center as of mid-December, at times filling more than the 10 beds reserved.
"The capacity that we're finding is not that 60 to 65 is decreasing to 30 necessarily, but even every half of a day for any patient that needs to go or any part of a day that happens helps us," she said.
Erin Nelson with DCHC said Nebraska Med provides additional training for these transfers.
"Let's say like a triage or something like that, something medically, they'll send a respiratory therapist, they've sent their nursing staff down to assist, on some difficult transfers," Nelson said.
