OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It is no secret that hospitals across the area are overwhelmed with staffing shortages, physical and emotional exhaustion and limited availability of beds all caused by the pandemic.
How is this overburdened system impacting families waiting to get non-COVID-related medical care?
Mona Dababneh is a nurse living in San Diego and her mother Eva Scott lives in Blair. Scott needed an urgent surgery to remove her gallbladder. Typically when a patient comes into the Emergency Department with that kind of diagnosis, they are taken to surgery that same night or very soon after admission.
"We were waiting for a bed at a major hospital that could accommodate us. We waited 4 days for that bed, it was a long wait. In the meantime, you are having to hear your loved one in pain waiting," Dababneh said.
Each day that passed proved excruciating for the family.
"It was just becoming more and more frustrating and also very emotional because you want to be able to do something and your hands are sort of tied," Dababneh said.
The doting daughter was in close contact with nurses and her mom's case manager calling area hospitals every two hours.
"This was Methodist Hospital, all the CHI hospitals, anything her insurance would cover and all the hospitals did not have beds," Dababneh said.
It was beginning to feel like a hopeless search.
"My mind was always a step ahead, what can I do if I can't get access, what's next? I have to take care of my mom, she's my top priority," Dababneh said.
After much persistence and advocating, Eva did get a bed and the surgery she needed at CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs with plans to get discharged right away. A nurse herself, Dababneh gives thanks to those fighting a never-ending battle.
"A nurse and a physician never want to tell my mom she has to wait 4 days to have surgery. They know that's not the way things should be practiced," Dababneh said.
3 News Now reached out to Nebraska Hospital Association for a response which says in part: "We all need Nebraskans to continue to get vaccinated so we can preserve bed capacity and deliver top-quality patient care."
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