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Auburn, Nebr. (December 21, 2020) – Nemaha County Hospital (NCH) announced today that Dr. Patrick Farrell will be joining their staff physicians. Dr. Farrell received his undergraduate degree from Creighton University, earned his medical degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and completed his residency in otolaryngology at UNMC.

“We’re excited to have Dr. Farrell join our team at NCH. He will make a great addition to the already excellent team of physicians we are fortunate to have join us in our community” said Susan Joy, RN, Director of Outpatient Services and Cardiac Rehab.

Farrell is board certified in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, treating both children and adults. Specializing in diseases of the nose and sinuses for 22 years, Dr. Farrell will be providing services for diagnosis and medical management of ear, nose, and throat disorders as well as Tonsillectomies, Ear Tubes, Nasal and Sinus Surgeries.

“I am excited to start practicing in Auburn,” said Dr. Farrell. “Nemaha County Hospital is a wonderful facility with a great team that is recognized for the highest level of care and I am proud to be joining them.”

Dr. Farrell will begin seeing patients, with a doctor referral, on January 5, 2021.

Auburn, Nebr. (December 1, 2020) — As a part of National Rural Health Day on November 19th, Nemaha County Hospital was recognized by The Chartis Center of Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural health (NOSORH) for overall excellence in the categories of Outcomes, Patient Perspective and Quality. The Performance Leadership Award program utilizes the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX® to recognize top quartile performance among Critical Access Hospitals and Rural & Community Hospitals.

“We are so excited to receive all 3 of these awards and I would like to congratulate our team for their continued commitment to high standards of care,” said Marty Fattig, CEO at Nemaha County Hospital. “They have worked diligently during this difficult year to make sure patient care is always at the center of our daily operation.”

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Based entirely on publicly available data sources, the INDEX methodology is the data foundation for a number of industry-leading rural recognition programs, rural health safety net-related research, and legislative initiatives. Performance
Leadership Award recipients are rural hospitals ranking in the 75th percentile or above in the INDEX performance pillars for Quality, Outcomes, or Patient Perspective.

“Despite the fact that COVID-19 has created greater instability across the rural health safety net, we continue to see countless examples of rural hospitals rising to the challenge to serve their communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “I believe this dedication to mission and drive to overcome unexpected challenges echoes the
long-standing commitment among rural hospitals to deliver high-quality care. We are thrilled to honor this year’s top quartile performers.”

“Across the nation, rural hospitals have been working exceptionally hard to adjust to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it has not been an easy year, I believe the perseverance displayed by rural hospitals and their partners at the State Offices of Rural Health exemplifies the true spirit of National Rural Health Day,” said Teryl Eisinger, Chief Executive Officer, NOSORH. “We are delighted to join The Chartis Center for Rural Health in honoring the 2020 Performance Leadership Award winners.”

About Nemaha County Hospital
Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area.

Auburn, Nebr. (November 19, 2020) — The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) presented the associations highest honor to Marty Fattig, ACHE, CEO of Nemaha County Hospital (NCH) at the 2020 virtual annual meeting held on October 23rd. The Excellence in Service award is presented to a hospital/health system administrator or senior executive who has demonstrated outstanding administrative skills, professional performance, health care organization involvement and significant leadership.

“I am honored to receive this award,” said Fattig. “2020 has been a difficult year in healthcare and has required everyone to go above and beyond. Our excellent team at Nemaha County Hospital always provides high-quality, cost effective patient care which makes my job much easier in these unusual times.”

Other healthcare workers honored by NHA include Linda Ament, Senior Executive for Compliance Services – Beatrice Community Hospital & health Center, Mike Hansen, FACHE, President & Chief Executive Office, Columbus Community Hospital, and Leland Lamberty, MD, Great Plans Health & Great Plains Health Family Medicine in North Platte. These individuals received the 2020 NHA Meritorious Service Award recognizing the longevity and breadth of service of an individual, not only to their facility, but to health care in the state.

The Trustee of the Year Award was given to Raymond Huggett, Chairman Board of Trustees – Merrick Medical Center in Central City and Merlin Wehling, MD, Board Member – Kearney Regional Medical Center. Dr. Gary Anthone was awarded MHA’s Healthcare Advocate of the
Year. Dr. Anthone serves as Chief Medical Officer for the State of Nebraska and has been instrumental in partnering with our member hospitals in navigating the current COVID-19 Pandemic.

Finally, two hospitals were recognized for their tenure as members of the American Hospital Association: Nebraska Methodist Hospital in Omaha for 100 years and Community Hospital in McCook for 75 years.

The annual institutional membership business meeting was also conducted during this event. Over 80 members attended online and members reviewed and approved the 2020 NHA financials, 2021 NHA budget and the 2021 NHA Board of Directors slates for NHA, NHA Research and Educational Foundation, NHA Services, Inc. and Bio-Electronics.

“2020 has certainly been a challenging year and, unlike most years where we’ve held our meeting in person as a part of our annual convention, we conducted this year’s business meeting virtually,” remarked Laura J. Redoutey, FACHE, NHA President. “It was truly gratifying having more than 80 of our members join the call. It proves again how well our member hospitals collaborate and come together in times of need.”

About Nemaha County Hospital
Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area.

About NHA
The Nebraska Hospital Association is the unified voice for Nebraska’s hospitals and health systems. NHA’s mission is to serve its members by being the trusted leader to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of all Nebraskans. For more information, visit the NHS website at www.nebraskahospitals.org.

Auburn, Nebr. (October 29, 2020) — The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) has recognized 75 Nebraska
member hospital employees for their excellence in service by bestowing them with the organization’s prestigious
The Caring Kind award. Nemaha County Hospital (NCH) chose Jere Gravatt, Director of Home Care, as this year’s
recipient. Gravatt has been a staple at NCH for 38 years and helped to build the Home Care team from the
ground up. She also helps lead the decontamination team, teaches CAV classes, runs employee health, and plays
a big role in the infection prevention team.

For 41 years, The Caring Kind award has been given to Nebraska’s most caring and compassionate hospital
employees. The award honors outstanding health care employees who have demonstrated compassion for
patients, cooperation with co-workers and dedication to excellence in their job responsibilities.

“2020 has certainly been a challenging year and we were forced to cancel our annual convention. One of the
highlights is our annual Caring Kind Awards luncheon, “remarked NHA President, Laura J. Redoutey, FACHE.
“This year, we had to get creative to make sure we give our recipients the recognition they truly deserve. The
Caring Kind award symbolizes kindness, caring, dedication and commitment to patient care at our hospitals.
These individuals are so very deserving of our recognition.”

Hospitals across the state each select one The Caring Kind award recipient from within their respective institutions
to be recognized. More than 2,600 caring, skilled and dedicated health care professionals have received this award
since its inception in 1979. In lieu of the annual awards luncheon, this year’s recipients have been recognized with
a special video available online.

“Every Nebraska hospital employee plays a critical role in providing high-quality, cost-effective treatment and
ensuring the safety of themselves, their co-workers and patients each and every day. These honorees are star
performers through their dedication to patients and teamwork, ensuring that care is safe, quality-driven and costeffective for consumers, as well as for the organizations they represent,” said Ms. Redoutey.

The NHA congratulates The Caring Kind award recipients:

• Shelly Allen, Great Plains Health, North Platte
• Deb Andreasen, Annie Jeffrey Memorial County Health Center, Osceola
• Amanda Bach, Pender Community Hospital, Pender
• Michelle Baney, Dundy County Hospital / Quality Healthcare Clinic, Benkelman
• Etta Beaver, Saunders Medical Center,Wahoo
• Melanie Bell, Nebraska Spine Hospital,Omaha
• Rhonda Bredthauer, Valley County Health System, Ord
• Amber Brunow, Jefferson Community Health & Life, Fairbury
• Jan Buchanan, Crete Area Medical Center, Crete
• Maria Calderon, Methodist Fremont Health, Fremont
• Kitt Callaway, Tri Valley Health System. Cambridge
• Doris Deleski, OrthoNebraska, Omaha
• Dillon Dexter, Howard County Medical Center, St. Paul
• Kelly Dohmen, Avera Creighton Hospital, Creighton
• April Einspahr, Harlan County Health System, Alma
• Jennifer Elliott, Sidney Regional Medical Center, Sidney
• Rex Famitangco, Morrill County Community Hospital, Bridgeport
• Melissa Foltz, Columbus Community Hospital, Columbus
• Devyn France, Brown County Hospital, Ainsworth
• Megan Frizzell, Rock County Hospital, Bassett
• Elizabeth Furstenau, Antelope Memorial Hospital, Neligh
• Janice Gengenbach, Cozad Community Health System, Cozad
• Melissa Gragg, Merrick Medical Center, Central City
• Jane Gramke Stevens, Memorial Community Hospital & Health System, Blair
• Jere Gravatt, Nemaha County Hospital, Auburn
• Amanda Gulbrandson, Boone County Health Center, Albion
• Rhonda Harmon, Community Medical Center, Inc., Falls City
• Mindi Jasper, Butler County Health Care Center, David City
• Gena Kile, Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings
• Hope Koester, Pawnee County Memorial Hospital, Pawnee City
• Courtney Kossow, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, Lincoln
• Patience Kramp, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha
• Nikki Kraus, Beatrice Community Hospital & Health Center, Beatrice
• Amber Kussman, Brodstone Memorial Hospital, Superior
• Julie Kvasnicka, CHI Health Lakeside, Omaha
• Claudia Lanuza, CHI Health Schuyler, Schuyler
• Pam Lawver, Friend Community Healthcare System, Friend
• Cindi Layher, CHI Health St. Francis, Grand Island
• Val Lind, Phelps Memorial Health Center, Holdrege
• Pam Livingston, CHI Health St. Elizabeth, Lincoln
• Pamela Matthes, Providence Medical Center, Wayne
• Josette McConville, Kearney Regional Medical Center, Kearney
• Kevin McNichols, West Holt Medical Services, Atkinson
• Jennifer Meiergerd, Franciscan Healthcare, WestPoint
• Lori Menke, CHI Health Midlands, Papillion
• Megan Meyer, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha
• Chris Mills, Chadron Community Hospital & Health Services/Prairie Pines Lodge, Chadron
• Wendy Mueller, Syracuse Area Health, Syracuse Theresa Palik, York General Hearthstone, York
• Colleen Pfeifer, Methodist Women’s Hospital, Omaha
• Paula Plog, Regional West Garden County, Oshkosh
• Sandra Powers, Nebraska Methodist Hospital, Omaha
• Stacy Ptacnik, Johnson County Hospital, Tecumseh
• Regina Rademacher, CHI Health Nebraska Heart, Lincoln
• Katie Ransdell, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha
• Kelly Rasmussen, CHI Health Immanuel, Omaha
• Tierney Reilly, Community Hospital, McCook
• Lola Remmenga, Kearney County Health Services, Minden
• Adam Rensch, MD, Howard County Medical Center, St.Paul
• Mary K Rhone, Lexington Regional Health Center, Lexington
• Kerri Ristine, CHI Health Good Samaritan, Kearney
• Simon Sand, Memorial Health Care Systems, Seward
• Michelle Scheil, Fillmore County Hospital, Geneva
• Theresa Shelden, Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital, O’Neill
• Donna Sluka Smith, CHI Health St. Mary’s, Nebraska City
• Erica Smith, Box Butte General Hospital, Alliance
• Amy Stanley, Banner Health Ogallala Community Hospital, Ogallala
• Taylor Straube, Bryan Health, Lincoln
• Jeff Thompson, CHI Health CUMC Bergan Mercy, Omaha
• Wendy VanSkiver, Thayer County Health Services, Hebron
• Kaylyn Venteicher, CHI Health Plainview, Plainview
• Lynn VonLoh, Jennie M. Melham Memorial Medical Center, Broken Bow
• Chelsie Weidaman, Regional West Health Services, Scottsbluff
• Tim Widhalm, Faith Regional Health Services, Norfolk
• Allyson Wilson, Memorial Community Health, Inc., Aurora

About Nemaha County Hospital
Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area.

Auburn, Nebr. (October 6, 2020) – The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is pleased to announce that Nemaha County Hospital has earned the 2020 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified level 7. The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced
technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities.

“Digital technology has been a driver of innovation in healthcare for many years now, but never to the degree that we saw in 2020 with the pandemic,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell. “The Digital Health Most Wired program underscores why healthcare organizations keep pushing themselves to be digital leaders and shows what amazing feats they can achieve. This certification recognizes their exemplary performance in 2020.”

A total of 30,135 organizations were represented in the 2020 Digital Health Most Wired program, which this year included four separate surveys: domestic, ambulatory, long-term care and international. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading.

Each participating organization received a customized benchmarking report, an overall score and scores for individual levels in eight segments: infrastructure; security; business/disaster recovery; administrative/supply chain; analytics/data management; interoperability/population health; patient engagement; and clinical quality/safety. Participants can use the report and scores to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. Participants also received certification based on their overall performance, with level 10 being the highest.

“We are honored to receive this special recognition for Most Wired,” said Marty Fattig, Nemaha County Hospital CEO. “Our team works hard to use technologies and strategies when analyzing our data in order to achieve meaningful clinical and efficiency outcomes to give our patients quality care every time.”

This is the third year that CHIME has conducted the survey and overseen the program. In each successive year, CHIME has expanded the survey to capture more types of organizations that serve patients across the continuum of care. CHIME also continues to promote the program internationally to provide a global overview of digital health advancements.

As in past years, CHIME will publish an industry trends report based on Digital Health Most Wired responses from U.S. participants. The 2020 National Trends Report is scheduled to be released in November during CHIME20 Digital.

About Nemaha County Hospital
Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area.

About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With nearly 3,400 members in 55 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.

Replacement Selected From Internal Staff

Auburn, Nebr. (September 30, 2020) – Nemaha County Hospital announced today that Kermit
Moore is retiring after 21 years as Chief Operating Officer. Susi VonBergen, currently Assistant
Director of Nursing and Director of Quality, will replace Moore as COO.

“Congratulations to Kermit on an outstanding career,” said Marty Fattig, Nemaha County
Hospital CEO. “He will be greatly missed, and we thank him for his significant contributions to the
hospital and dedication to upholding a standard of excellence.

Moore played a large part in Nemaha County Hospital becoming Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
Accredited and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certified. He also led the
Personalized Patient Centered Care Initiative and was also involved with many other programs
like the Domesti-pups and Stop the Bleed.

Susi VonBergen will replace Moore as COO. VonBergen began her career at Nemaha County
Hospital as a staff nurse in 1992. She went on to help develop policies, mentor nursing students,
and assist in the implementation of the hospitals electronic medical records system. VonBergen
received the Bryan College of Health Services Alumni Association 2019 Clinical Excellence Award
for outstanding clinical expertise, leadership, and achievement. She was nominated by Moore
for the award. VonBergen will begin her role as COO on October 5th, 2020.

 Auburn, Nebr. (September 23, 2020) – Nemaha County Hospital is pleased to announce the addition of a Hematology/Oncology Clinic to the outpatient services department. Dr. Ifran Vaziri, staff physician at Nebraska Hematology-Oncology, PC, will begin seeing patients on October 1, 2020. 

Dr. Vaziri is a graduate of Aga Kahn University, Karachi, Pakistan, and completed his residency at the University of North Dakota. Vaziri then completed a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Nebraska and a fellowship in Infectious Disease at the University of Texas. Before moving to Lincoln, Dr. Vaziri practiced and served as the Medical Director at the Callahan Cancer Center in North Platte, Nebraska for 14 years. Dr. Vaziri is Board Certified in both Hematology and Oncology. 

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Vaziri with Nebraska Hematology-Oncology to our group of specialties here at Nemaha County Hospital. We have always been proud of the oncology care and treatments that we have been able to provide our patients and the addition of Dr. Vaziri will allow us to continue providing quality care for our hematology/oncology patients for many years to come,” said Susan Joy, Director of Outpaitent Services. 

Nemaha County Hospital will hold the Hematology/Oncology clinic on the first Thursday of each month. A referral from a primary care physician will be required to schedule an appointment. 

Visit www.nemahacountyhospital.com for more information. 

About Nemaha County Hospital 

Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area. Nemaha County Hospital was named a 2020 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital. 

Nebraska scaling widespread COVID-19 testing through TestNebraska

Auburn, NE (August 25, 2020) – Today, Nemaha County Hospital announced a partnership with the State of Nebraska to provide free COVID-19 testing for eligible residents. Nebraskans can take an online assessment through the TestNebraska portal at TestNebraska.com to determine eligibility. Nemaha County Hospital will be hosting the weekly drive-through test collection for TestNebraska on Tuesdays from 10am to 12pm.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nebraskans have been asking for more widespread access to testing. The State’s partnership with Nomi Health provides Nemaha County Hospital with access to a pre-existing supply chain of effective testing, project management, and clinical expertise which allows the hospital staff to take care of the community’s need. Hospitals and public health systems across the state needed immediate access to scarce resources, high-quality testing equipment and an efficient process, which this partnership delivers.

Marty Fattig, CEO of Nemaha County Hospital commented, “We are happy to join with Test Nebraska and three other hospitals in Southeast Nebraska to provide access to readily available COVID-19 testing in our area. Through better testing we can better control the spread of this virus and slow the spread of the pandemic.”

Upon registration through the TestNebraska.com website, patients will be given an appointment time, and receive their identification barcode. This identification barcode will be required for testing. All TestNebraska patients will need to enter through the lower north parking lot and continue around to the west side of the hospital. There will be a TestNebraska volunteer directing patients to the correct area. Please do not try to enter through the south Emergency Entrance as it is only available to Emergency Vehicles.

About Nemaha County Hospital
Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area. Nemaha County Hospital was named a 2020 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital.

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Auburn, Nebr. (August 19, 2020) – Nemaha County Hospital announced today that due to staffing shortages, it will be closing the doors of the Nemaha County Home Care department after nearly 20 years of service to the community. The closing date will be September 30, 2020.

Nemaha County Home Care became part of the hospital in the early 2000’s providing quality care within the homes of community members. Over the years it has become increasingly difficult to staff the Home Care positions with experienced care providers. For this reason the current Home Care staff recommended the department be closed. The remaining Home Care Staff will continue to be employed by Nemaha County Hospital, working within other areas of the hospital.

The decision to close our home health service was one we did not take lightly, but with some staff retiring and others transitioning to other departments, we realized that we can not continue to provide the quality of care that we demand and our home health patients deserve.

Nemaha County Hospital is taking every step to ensure that the current Home Care patients will still receive the quality care that they deserve. Patients will be given the contact information for the other Home Care Agencies that currently serve the community. Home Care staff will be available throughout the closure to assist patients with any help they may need.

The staff of Nemaha County Home Care wish to express their appreciation for the support from this community. It has been our privilege to provide care to our patients and that responsibility has been taken very seriously. Our goal was to provide our patients with the best care available. We have been awarded national honors that demonstrate achievement of that but, the relationships that have been developed with our patients and their families have been one of our greatest rewards. Again, our thanks for allowing us to be part of the community’s health care team.

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About Nemaha County Hospital
Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area. Nemaha County Hospital was named a 2020 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital.

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‘Age-Friendly Health Systems’ Initiative

Auburn, Nebr. (May 21, 2020) – Nemaha County Hospital announced today that it is part of a movement to improve health care for older adults, contributing to a goal of 20 percent of U.S. hospitals and health systems becoming age-friendly by 2020. 

As part of the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) are helping hospitals and other care settings implement a set of evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults. 

Nemaha County Hospital now joins more than 100 health systems working to make care for older adults even more tailored to patients’ goals and preferences and consistently of high-quality. 

“The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative is an important part of our overarching vision to provide older adults with the best care possible.” said Marty Fattig, Chief Executive Officer at Nemaha County Hospital. “We have always been on the forefront of patient care, and that’s why we want to participate in this vital effort. We look forward to both sharing our best practices and learning what’s working for others.”

The initiative is based on a series of practices focused on addressing four essential elements of care for older patients: 

• What Matters: Know and align care with each older adult’s specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care, and across settings of care. 
• Medication: If medication is necessary, use Age-Friendly medication that do not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility, or Mentation across settings of care. 
• Mentation: Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across settings of care. 
• Mobility: Ensure that older adults move safely every day in order to maintain function and do What Matters. 

The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative was launched in 2017 by The John A. Hartford Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and Catholic Health Association of the US, with a commitment to make 20 percent of hospitals and health systems in the United States age-friendly by 2020. For more information, visit www.ihi.org/agefriendly.

About Nemaha County Hospital 

Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area. Nemaha County Hospital was named a 2020 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital.

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