Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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North Central District Health Department will vaccinate residents 18 years of age and older for COVID-19. Any district residents born in 2003 or prior, who resides in Antelope, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Rock or Pierce counties, is now eligible to receive a vaccine. The first step on the way to receiving a vaccine is registering. It is important for people 16 and older to register at vaccinate.ne.gov. Access to this registry can also be found on the NCDHD homepage at: www.ncdhd.ne.gov. Currently, vaccine NCDHD is dispensing at...
Ken Paulson Director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University When government fails, it’s the rare public official who says, “Oops. My fault.” That’s human nature, particularly for officials in the public eye who may have to run for office again. No one wants to be held directly responsible for letting the public down. Case in point is the recent catastrophe in Texas, when unexpected winter storms left 4 million homes without power, ruptured pipes and tainted the water supply for many. Texas’ energy grid essential...
Nebraska is in the green, at least when it comes to directed health measures. Governor Pete Ricketts announced Jan. 29 the state would transition from the blue to green phase, effective Jan. 30. The state's pandemic response plan links DHM restrictions to the percentage of staffed hospital beds in Nebraska filled by coronavirus patients. As of Jan. 29, hospital capacity in the state is below 10%, allowing the move to the green phase of the pandemic plan. During Friday morning's press...
Holt County emergency manager, Deb Hilker, provided supervisors with an update about the vaccination process during the board's Jan. 29 meeting at the Holt Count Courthouse. Vaccines developed by Moderna are being distributed in the area. Hilker said the North Central District Health Department requested use of the county's emergency response trailer "to push out the vaccine to the district," beginning the week of Feb. 7. According to Hilker, the vaccine must be kept at a temperature of minus...
An online portal where Nebraskans may register for the coronavirus vaccination debuted recently. During a Monday press conference, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the website launch for vaccinate.nebraska.gov. Ricketts emphasized the state will not administer vaccines on a first come, first serve basis. Instead, the state will follow a vaccination plan introduced Jan. 15. Despite brisk winter weather, vaccinations have been rolling out quickly, with more than 161,000 vaccinations being administered...
For end-of-the-year columns, it’s customary to recap events of the past 12 months, usually highlighting a mix of good and bad. Because this year has been dominated by health, and my beat is health, it seems fitting to reflect on where we are. Where we are is not good. A headline in the Los Angeles Times seemed to sum up the current state of the U.S. health care system: “Bodies pile up, patient care falters as COVID-19 devastates L.A. County hospitals.” In the Times’ story, a hospital critical care nurse says, “No one would believe this is the U...
North Central District Health Department reported 38 new cases in the district Jan. 4, including: seven, Antelope; 0, Boyd; 0, Brown; one, Cherry; six, Holt; 0, Keya Paha; 15, Knox; nine, Pierce and 0, Rock. NCDHD has received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and is proceeding to disperse vaccine to Phase 1A partners, as outlined in the Nebraska COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. As of Dec. 31, 784 north central Nebraska residents received the first dose of the vaccine. NCDHD will notify the public as the district transitions to each phase. The speed of...
Despite a pandemic that saw life around us change, not everything in 2020 was bad. Advocate-Messenger employees share a personal glimpse of the hope they experienced in 2020 and offer a wish for the new year. ~~~ One of the biggest signs of hope for me was being able to attend in-person classes at Wayne State College. With all the uncertainty in the world, it was a huge relief to know that colleges were taking one of the first steps to give some sense of normalcy to their students. Wish for...
On Dec. 28, Dr. Kelli Osborn received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by Moderna, to be administered at Antelope Memorial Hospital. The shot was given by Amy Wright, RN. Dr. Osborn is the AMH chief medical staff officer. The first round of AMH's COVID-19 vaccines will be given to its front-line workers only....
North Central District Health Department has been made aware of 159 cases in the district since the last reporting on Nov. 12, including: 19-Antelope; 9-Boyd; 21-Brown; 26-Cherry; 27-Holt; 6-Keya Paha; 13-Knox; 36-Pierce and 2-Rock. NCDHD has expanded its COVID-19 testing capacities to include a 15-minute rapid test, in addition to the gold standard PCR test already offered. The rapid test will be offered only to individuals who are currently exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19. All testing is offered free of charge at the below...
North Central District Health Department has been made aware of 145 cases in the district since the last reporting on Nov. 9: 21-Antelope; 6-Boyd; 18-Brown; 17-Cherry; 31-Holt; 1-Keya Paha; 21-Knox; 28-Pierce and 2-Rock. NCDHD announced 110 new recoveries since the last recovery report from Nov. 5, including: 16-Antelope; 2- Boyd; 10-Brown; 4-Cherry; 24-Holt; 0- Keya Paha; 41-Knox; 10-Pierce and 3-Rock. NCDHD has expanded its COVID-19 testing capacities to include a 15-minute rapid test, in...
Front-line health care workers and individuals with underlying health conditions will be the first Nebraskans to receive a coronavirus vaccine, once approved. Gov. Pete Ricketts announced, during a Monday press conference, the state's vaccination plan was submitted to the federal government prior to the Oct. 16 federal deadline. "Part of the planning includes an efficient distribution network for the vaccine so as quickly as the vaccine arrives, they can get into the arms of Nebraskans," said...
North Central District Health Department will offer a drive-through flu vaccine clinic, Thursday, Oct. 15, in Orchard. The clinic will be held between 2 and 6 p.m., at the Rex Theater. Enter the alley from the east to line up. Individuals taking part are asked to remain in their vehicle and follow the signs. Individuals six months old and older may participate in the clinic. A high-dose vaccine will be available for individuals more than 65 years old. A screening form must be filled out and can be found online at ncdhd.ne.gov. Health...
North Central District Health Department will host the following upcoming drive-through public influenza vaccine clinics throughout the district: • Monday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ainsworth - Ainsworth School – Ag Tech Building • Monday, Oct. 12, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Springview - Activity Center -Enter on the south side • Tuesday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Bloomfield • Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2 to 6 p.m., Plainview – Plainview Elementary School – Line up on Woodland Avenue and enter from th...
A dad, who had been remanded to the county sheriff’s custody to serve a jail sentence, drove away from the courthouse in a private vehicle last Wednesday, with his children as passengers. Shane Sleister did not go directly to jail. Instead of proceeding north toward the Antelope County Law Enforcement Center, Sleister’s vehicle headed west on 5th Street, followed by Antelope County deputy and courtroom bailiff, Lyle Juracek, The 46-year old Oakdale man faced Taylor for sentencing on a Class 3 misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace, a cha...
Ten district health department areas across the state, including North Central District Health Department, which includes Antelope and Holt counties, will have changes to restrictions on social gatherings and business operations, beginning May 4. Governor Pete Ricketts announced upcoming changes to Directed Health Measures across the state during an April 24 press conference. The current state DHMs for Douglas County will be extended through May 3. Local DHMs from the Sarpy/Cass Health Department and the Douglas County Health Department will al...
Nebraskans are urged to stay home and stay healthy for the next three weeks. Thursday afternoon, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced six rules to lessen the impact of COVID-19: stay home, social distance, shop alone once per week, assist children with social distancing, help older populations social distance and exercise at home. Ricketts said the recommendations are not a stay-at-home order or a shelter-in-place order. "As we wage war against the virus, we are asking Nebraskans to further limit...
Nebraskans are urged to stay home and stay healthy for the next three weeks. Thursday afternoon, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced six rules to lessen the impact of COVID-19: stay home, social distance, shop alone once per week, assist children with social distancing, help older populations social distance and exercise at home. Ricketts said the recommendations are not a stay-at-home order or a shelter-in-place order. "As we wage war against the virus, we are asking Nebraskans to further limit...
