The story of the painting created by patient Dany Reyes is simply extraordinary. 

His COVID-19 illness was persistent. The first week, the symptoms seemed like allergies. By week two, he had daily fevers of 104 degrees and couldn't taste or smell. Reyes says, "I'd get the chills, then hot again. It was a whole cycle."

By the third week, he couldn't keep food down and had a bad cough. A chest X-ray didn't reveal anything too severe, so doctors gave Reyes cough medicine and sent him home. Reyes started feeling better. 

Until the fever returned. This time, a chest X-ray revealed minor traces of pneumonia. Reyes went from the emergency room at the Bellevue Medical Center directly to the COVID-19 unit. 

"Having COVID-19 was scary, but all the nurses were so helpful and reassuring. They were in my room cracking jokes with me, taking the risk of getting sick." A few days later, Reyes was finally well enough to get out of bed. "After three weeks of fevers, walking around felt so great."

To protect his family, Reyes couldn't go home right away. He went to his art gallery for a week of quarantine (and sleeping on the floor). He also started painting, saying, "I wanted to give something back. Art is something I feel really passionate about, something that means a lot to me. The nurses and doctors were all so caring. I created the painting to thank everybody who got me back to my health."

Navigating next steps

As a health care network, we’ve taken every precaution to protect our patients, doctors, nurses and staff. As things begin to start up again, we’re proceeding in a diligent manner. Our pandemic planning team continues to guide how to provide safe, effective care for all patients. See the sidebar for what to expect for your next appointment or procedure.

“Normal isn’t going to be what it was in December 2019,” says Cory Shaw, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “It’s not going to be like turning on a light switch and everything is how it was before. It’s going to be more like a dimmer switch as we gradually ramp back up our operations in a safe and deliberate way.”

But our dedication to providing the best care for people with cancer, trauma and regular old back pain has not wavered. From welcoming newborns into the world to performing innovative, technically advanced surgeries, our dedicated staff continues to serve and care for patients of all ages.

“In recent months, while caring for patients with COVID-19, we have continued to operate our clinics and hospitals for thousands of individuals who needed medical treatment on a daily basis,” says CEO James Linder, MD.

We’ll always keep you safe. A team led by Shelly Schwedhelm, director of Emergency Management and Biopreparedness, literally wrote the book on COVID-19 safety – giving guidelines for meat processing plants and long-term care facilities. So you know our clinics and hospitals operate with the best safety information and protocols in place.

Delaying treatment or regular screenings can have larger, unintended consequences. Getting the care you need is one of the best things you can do for your health and for yourself. After all, the safest place to be in a public health crisis is a place staffed by world renowned medical experts. To the Nebraska Medicine team, your health always comes first.

Strong connection through telehealth

We’re committed to caring for all of our patients – even during a pandemic. In times of crisis, we continue to provide nonurgent care to our community.

An innovative new way of providing care has been through telehealth.

Patients have enjoyed not needing to travel or sit in a waiting room. “Even through a computer screen, I felt cared for and that I’m still a priority. We had a strong connection,” says patient Faye Schmidt. Our staff have enjoyed connecting with patients through the new Nebraska Medicine app – all while reducing the risk of spreading the coronavirus and limiting PPE usage.

The COVID-19 situation locally, statewide and nationally remains unpredictable. But our commitment to extraordinary care, while ensuring the safety and security of our workforce, will never change.

“Our decades of experience in pandemic planning have prepared us for this very moment. No matter what happens, we’re here for you.”