Nebraska leads the nation when it comes to the number of critical access hospitals — designated hospitals that receive federal funds to strengthen rural health. This and other information is available in “The Nebraska Health Information Project: 2001 Databook,” the latest report on the health status of Nebraskans.
Of 570 hospitals with critical access hospital designation, Nebraska has 54, or almost 10 percent of the nation’s total. The number has significantly increased since the last report in 1999, when there were seven Nebraska hospitals with the designation.
“It’s a credit to Nebraska, the state agencies and hospital association that we’ve been able to help the hospitals achieve this status,” said Keith Mueller, Ph.D., UNMC professor of preventive and societal medicine. “The absence of hospitals in many Nebraska communities would pose a real hardship on people in the community, especially those without easy access to transportation.”
Other highlights in the databook include a projected 122 percent population increase of Hispanics and 82 percent increase of other minorities by 2025. A shortage of advanced-trained emergency response volunteers and a continued shortage of all health professionals also are projected.
The databook also contains current statistics, such as the five leading causes of death in Nebraskans, which are: heart disease (4,192), cancer (3,380), cerebrovascular disease (1,090), chronic lung disease (724) and accidents (637). About 21 percent of Nebraskans smoke cigarettes.
The 200-page databook is tailored to policymakers, administrators, advocates, educators and researchers and addresses statistics on availability, cost and quality of health-care in Nebraska, as well as information on potentially preventable hospitalizations. It also is intended to help identify priorities for investing state dollars for the improvement of health-care delivery in the state.
The book is organized by demographics, health professionals, health-care facilities, insurance and health expenditures, health status, and hospital discharges. The information can be used as a measure of success of health-care access, as well as cost and quality of health-care in Nebraska.
Latest Nebraska demographics point to a rapidly aging population. From 1995 to 2025, there will be a projected 77 percent population increase of people age 65 and over. This trend will impact the economy, including health-care, Dr. Mueller said.
The population of Hispanics is projected to increase 122 percent, from 50,000 in 1995, to an estimated 111,000 in 2025. In other minorities (including African-American), the population is expected to increase 82 percent, from 64,000 in 1995 to an estimated 109,000 in 2025.
“In health-care, this means we need to continue to look at issues like cultural competency,” Dr. Mueller said. “We also need to provide more access to health-care by looking at policies to expand opportunities for health insurance coverage.”
Dr. Mueller said latest data on health insurance show 10 percent of Nebraskans are without health insurance. “Our population is still vulnerable, but we are better off than the national average of 14 percent,” he said. “One of the reasons may be because of the increase in the enrollment of children in Kids Connection.
“From October 2000 to 2001, enrollment went from 109,000 to 130,000. It’s notable, especially when it’s helping to keep down the numbers of uninsured.”
Kids Connection is a children’s health insurance program that provides health-care to low-income uninsured children across Nebraska.
This year’s databook contains more in-depth information on the state of emergency medical care. Dr. Mueller said Nebraska has a good distribution of emergency medical technicians (EMT) with basic licenses across Nebraska, but falls short in the numbers of those with intermediate EMT and paramedic licenses.
“We have a pretty good distribution of licensed EMTs in the state but when we look at more advanced licenses who can do more at the scene, Nebraska doesn’t have near the same distribution. In central Nebraska and the Sandhills, there are no first responders with intermediate or paramedic licenses,” Dr. Mueller said. “We also know there’s an aging of the current volunteers and we’re also concerned about whether younger volunteers will fill the roles. We’re covered right now but the concern is whether we can continue that.”
Since 1994, the databook has been published every two years by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Nebraska Center for Rural Health Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and the Nebraska Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
A hard copy of the databook is available for $45, the book and compact disk for $55 or the CD alone for $20. To get a copy, call the UNMC Bookstore in Omaha at 1-800-454-2665 or (402) 559-4455.