OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says the state is ready to coordinate effective responses to pandemics, thanks to the Center of Operational Excellence (COE).
In a press conference on Monday, Ricketts said the COE helped set up state-level contact tracing, the Test Nebraska program and the vaccine rollout. On top of that, he said the COE played a major role in distributing more than $48 million worth of PPE around Nebraska and that the efforts all paid off.
"According to the Kaiser Foundation, Nebraska has the third lowest mortality rate of any state,” Ricketts said. “We have the sixth best state for kids in classrooms. Of course, throughout 2020, we had the lowest unemployment rate. In the fourth quarter of 2020, our state GDP grew at more than twice the national GDP."
In recognition of the COE’s efforts, Ricketts declared October a month of recognition for the agency.
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