The following is a transcript of an interview with Nebraska Medicine CEO James Linder that aired Sunday, December 6, 2020, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to FACE THE NATION. Nebraska Medicine is known as a leader in infectious diseases. The hospital cared for Ebola patients in 2014 and treated some of the first US COVID-19 patients back in February. CEO, Dr. James Linder, joins us from Omaha this morning. Good morning to you, Doctor.
DOCTOR JAMES LINDER: Good morning, MARGARET.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We heard a very sobering warning from the CDC director this week when he said this country is about to face the most difficult period in the public health history of our nation. And he said that's because of the stress that's going to be put on our health care system. What does that mean for front-line workers at your hospitals?
DR. LINDER: Well, I think the CDC director is accurate in that statement. We've been dealing with a public health crisis for 10 months now and our health care workers have been at the tip of the spear in battling the pandemic, in dealing with short supplies, and dealing with a patchwork of policies that could control the virus. I think if you look at the hospitals in America, many of them are at the breaking point. Some may have broken. We had some challenges in the last couple of weeks in Nebraska, but by working together, we were able to navigate that and make sure that care was available to everyone.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, a video from one of your nurses went viral last month, and in it she described the- the staffing shortages and she described her own personal frustration that she can't just rush in and help a COVID patient. It takes time to have to put on the PPE required to even enter the room. What is it like? Can you describe what it is like to be a COVID patient right now?
DR. LINDER: Everyone should want to avoid being a COVID patient, not only for the experience if they are in the hospital, but for the potential long-term consequences of this virus. The staff has done a remarkable job in working together and using their personal protective equipment to minimize any risk of personal exposure. But it is a very challenging time. And, you know, when we talk about hospitals and hospital beds, that's a very concrete number. But those hospitals and beds are not of any value unless you have the nurses, the physicians, the pharmacists, the technologists, the facilities people to deliver the care that makes people well. And those people really are stretched to the limit. I'm rec- fully aware of the stress on the entire country and the entire world, but there's always a sense of security and peace in knowing that health care is available. But we are challenging that right now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're challenging that just because of the sheer numbers, overwhelming the system is what you're talking about. Can you say what that means, practically speaking? Are- are we talking about doctors having to make decisions on who to treat and- and who not to help?
DR. LINDER: I think that first we should realize that prior to the pandemic, many hospitals were running near capacity and then with the addition of 20% more patients requiring care, that makes it very challenging to take care of the cancer patients, heart disease, the strokes, the trauma that have not gone away. So health care providers are faced with the challenge of dealing with 80% of the patients that have those other conditions and 15, 20, 25 or a percent more, depending on geography, of patients who have COVID. So, there are areas of the country that are what are called crisis standards of care, where the actual standard of care has changed because there aren't adequate staff, supplies or other resources. We have plans for that in Nebraska, but we are not at that point right now. I want to make that very clear,--
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you--
DR. LINDER: --but it's a very challenging time for all of health care.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you have suspended elective surgeries. Would you advise other hospitals to do that now?
DR. LINDER: What we've done is postponed those procedures that could safely be postponed, say, for four to 12 weeks. The term elective surgery is too broad a blanket, because if you have a tumor, you can maybe postpone the removal of that for a short period of time. But mentally, that patient wants the operation to remove that tumor. So the COVID pandemic is affecting all aspects of health care.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nebraska's governor said that he expects to get about a 100,000 doses of the vaccine during the month of December. Do you know when you will receive it at your hospitals? And what is your plan to distribute it to your employees? How do you decide who qualifies?
DR. LINDER: Well, we have begun the process of assuring which health care workers want to take the vaccine, and our policy would be to deal with the front-line workers in our hospital. And a lot of that is dependent on the number of doses we receive for distribution either next week or the week after.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You don't know that number yet?
DR. LINDER: We don't know the exact number yet. No, we do not.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But how do you decide and- and when you say you're asking if people are willing to take it, are a large number of your employees unwilling to take the vaccine?
DR. LINDER: No. Our surveys indicate well over 90% of individuals are going to roll up their sleeves on day one and be able to take it. We have to stratify the distribution of the vaccine because if there are any side effects, we don't want too many people that say would be home for a day or two.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So when you say you're- you're prioritizing front line, what does that mean? Because health care means everyone from the janitors cleaning up the room to the doctors intubating patients. Who goes first, and who goes last?
DR. LINDER: That's a wonderful question, MARGARET, and we will be first dealing with the people who are in the room, so your nurses, your doctors, your patient care techs, your respiratory technicians, the environmental service, people that have to turn rooms over. Those are the people that should first get the vaccine. And we anticipate, though, that perhaps by the end of December, if the state does receive 100,000 doses, almost every health care provider in Nebraska and most of the individuals who are in long term care environments can be vaccinated, but the supply chain of the virus- of the vaccine is still not solid. So, we- we just are preparing for delivering it to everyone. But we'll see what we get.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We wish you good luck, doctor. Thank you for your time this morning. And we'll be right back with former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Don't go away.