Health care is an important part of our lives, in big and small ways.
Sometimes, it’s as basic as taking our kids to a routine checkup. At the other extreme, it may involve the need for lifesaving treatment.
Health care often winds up taking a hefty slice of our personal finances, and it factors heavily into the budgets of employers and governments.
From a community perspective, health care has a huge impact on our economy — in hospital payrolls, support services and construction of new clinics and other facilities. In Omaha, for example, the Project NExT effort at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is poised to inject a massive amount of investment into an already growing part of town.
All that was true, of course, long before we ever heard about COVID-19. But the pandemic has brought additional attention to the health care world, exposing some of its challenges and forcing changes in the way things are done.
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Today, as a way to help readers learn more about how health care is evolving, we are pleased to launch Health Matters in the Heartland.
This monthly series is a collaborative effort among Lee Enterprises’ Nebraska newspapers, including the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star. It’s brought to you with the help of presenting sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and a group of monthly sponsors.
Each installment will look at an aspect of health care, focusing on what consumers need to know. Besides an in-depth story, we’ll have multimedia content, additional coverage and features online at omaha.com/exclusive/health-matters. As the series progresses, you’ll be able to find this content in a convenient central spot online.
Today’s article examines the forces that are driving care and costs after COVID. Next month, you will read about changes in mental health treatment. In future months, we’ll look at topics such as technology, employment, virtual care and the challenges of delivering top-notch service to every corner of the state.
The World-Herald been providing award-winning health coverage throughout the pandemic, just as we did for many years before that. This initial story is by our health reporter Julie Anderson, whose experience and knowledge allows her to put the trends and changes in local health care into clear context. Other reporters who work for The World-Herald, Journal Star and other Lee-owned Nebraska newspapers will provide later installments.
At The World-Herald, we appreciate our loyal subscribers who help us maintain our talented team of reporters, photojournalists and other staffers.
And we are grateful for the added support for this project from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and our other sponsors.
Our goal is to be your best news source for information about health care. As we move forward with this series, feel free to reach out to us with questions and ideas about what matters to you.
Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of April 2022
A pedestrian finds a moment in the sun while walking underneath Interstate 480 in downtown Omaha this week.
A four-alarm fire burns at a senior living center under construction on Applied Parkway near 144th and Pacific Streets on Sunday. The four-alarm was the first in Omaha since the Butternut Coffee building fire in 2004.Â
A four-alarm fire burns at a senior living center under construction on Applied Parkway near 144th and Pacific Streets on Sunday.
Creighton's Tommy Lamb pitches against Arizona at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha on Monday.
Storms approach Blair, Nebraska, looking west on State Highway 91 as the sun starts to set on Tuesday.
Storms approach Blair, Nebraska, looking north on County Road 25, just north of State Highway 91 on Tuesday.
This squirrel stopped to nibble on flowers outside Andrews Hall on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln earlier this month. Squirrels, being primarily herbivores, mainly eat nuts, seeds, fungi and fruit, as well as a wide variety of plants.
Chris Jambor, left, and his son Dexter Jambor, 8, enjoy the Nebraska's 2022 spring game from the sound end of the Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
UNO's Eduardo Rosario tags out Nebraska's Max Anderson at home at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha on Wednesday.
Nebraska takes the field for the start of the Nebraska football spring game in Lincoln on Saturday.
The Union For Contemporary Art announced that they are going to turn the F.J. Carey Block building into the Shirley Tyree Theater. The project also plans to preserve the historic architecture of the building.
Nebraska's Trent Hixson talks to the media on Wednesday.
Millard West's Drew Borner (4) celebrates his run in the fourth inning with his teammates in the dugout during the Millard West vs. Elkhorn South baseball game at Elkhorn South High School on Friday. Millard West won the game 16-0 in five innings.
