COVID-19 - One year
CUSTER COUNTY - The first COVID-19 headline, “COVID-19 & you” appeared on the front page of the March 12, 2020 Custer County Chief. The associated articles were about new waiting room and visitor policies at Melham Medical Center, Central Nebraska Medical Clinic (CNMC) and Callaway District Hospital and Medical Clinics.
It was the first of many COVID-19 headlines. Just a year ago, pages and headlines dealt with near empty shelves at a local grocery store where toilet paper and bread had been bought out.
Another article featured Dr. Julie Lindstrom with CNMC speaking to the Broken Bow School Board, saying it was a “good call” that school was closed March 13, a closure that was extended to the end of the semester. Also on March 13, 2020 the Custer County Chief was the first business in Broken Bow to close its doors to walk in traffic.
Additional articles dealt with visiting limitations at senior living facilities, supporting health care worker and Cruise Night in Broken Bow.
Then, in the April 9 issue, it was reported the first cases of COVID-19 were officially confirmed in Custer County and that one of the individuals had died.
It’s been one, long tough year.
Now health officials across the nations are cautiously making statements about the end of the pandemic being in sight, with caveats, of course. Such statements are usually made with the understanding that cautions such as mask wearing and social distancing still continue.
The Chief reached out to Veronica Schmidt, CEO of Melham Medical Center, and Brett Eggleston, CEO of Callaway District Hospital and Medical Clinics for their thoughts on the last twelve months.
“The past year has been interesting and definitely uncertain and stressful at times for our team,” Schmidt said. “But through it all, there were, and continue to be, shining examples of relentless flexibility, creative-problem solving, and exceptional teamwork from our staff.”
Schmidt spoke of having great pride in the medical center staff, saying, “As I reflect on this past year, a recurrent theme that comes to my mind is how proud this community should be of the healthcare professionals they have caring for them. The loyalty and ownership they show in the care they provide is incredible to witness.”
Eggleston said it’s sometimes hard to believe it’s been a year since COVID-19 first appeared in the area.
“The last year has been a learning experience for healthcare facilities nationwide,” Eggleston said. “We have taken all of the lessons that we have learned and adapted new processes and policies to be even more prepared for the future. Throughout the pandemic, our local healthcare providers have transitioned from preparation for the virus to treating patients infected with COVID and now have entered the vaccination phase of the pandemic.”
Eggleston said Callaway District Hospital is ready to work with others in bringing the pandemic to an end. “As we enter what is hopefully the final stage of the pandemic, we are happy to partner with other local healthcare facilities to ensure that vaccination is available to our area,” he said.
Schmidt, too, spoke about what was learned and what can be applied as we move into the future.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we can soon get back to business as usual,” she said. “However Melham will proceed with a renewed, more intense focus on infection prevention standards given the lessons learned through this pandemic.”
As of March 9, 2021, there have been 53 death contributed to COVID-19 throughout the nine county Loup Basin Public Health District. Eighteen of those have been Custer County residents. More than 2,000 residents throughout LBPHD have contracted the virus and of those, 2,288 were reported as recovered on March 9.