Nebraska threw a ‘lifeline’ to rural hospitals on the brink. Even that’s fraying

Every day, Laura Gamble sees the importance of Pender Community Hospital in the lives of her neighbors. The woman who drove an hour to deliver her first baby. The man in a mental health crisis.They rely on her northeast Nebraska hospital. “It’s like an oasis on the hill,” said Gamble, who grew up in the area and practiced as a nurse before becoming the hospital’s CEO.The h...