NORTH PLATTE, NEB. – Great Plains Health has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite Plus. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

These quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

“Great Plains Health is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Mel McNea, CEO at Great Plains Health.

Great Plains Health has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.

“We’re proud to receive this award as it reinforces the well-organized collaboration and commitment between departments of our hospital working together to truly make an impact and change the outcomes of stroke patients,” said Mel McNea.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is taking a wait-and-see approach on whether legislation is needed to begin collecting online sales taxes after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Ricketts said Wednesday he still doesn’t think legislation is necessary, but urged patience in the wake of the ruling that allows states to require that remote sellers collect the tax. He says he wants to see how other states address the matter as the ruling goes into effect.

Nebraska currently requires residents to report their online purchases for tax purposes when they file their income tax returns, but few people comply. Nebraska loses an estimated $30 million to $40 million annually in state revenue from sales that aren’t reported.

It’s unclear whether the Nebraska Department of Revenue can collect the tax without legislative approval.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) will be hosting its annual Carp-O-Rama at Lake Maloney’s main boat ramp area on Saturday, July 14. The free event is open to the public and will start at 8 a.m. and go until 1 p.m.

Game and Parks staff will be on hand to answer any questions you might have and park guests don’t need any fishing equipment for this event; everything from rods and reels to bait is supplied. If you have your own equipment, feel free to bring it too.

Nebraska Game and Parks fisheries biologists will chum the lake with a corn mixture around the main boat ramp and jetty area a couple days in advance to lure the big-scaled fish into the area.

While you’re at the lake, learn the art of recording fish images on fabric at the fish printing booth. This ancient Japanese art form or Gyotaku is a great way to keep a memory of the fish caught. Bring a T-shirt if you’d like to print your fish on a shirt as a keepsake.

Take your fish to the cleaning table for demonstrations on how to fillet and score carp and prepare it for the table. A free shore lunch along with Dutch oven dessert will be served.

Come join the festivities, sample some carp, hear the laughs and watch the smiles as carp are pulled from Lake Maloney. Bring your kids, grandkids or the neighbor kids to enjoy a fun-packed day of carp fishing.

A park entry permit is required and those 16 years of age and older wanting to fish need a Nebraska fishing permit. Both are sold at the lake, online at OutdoorNebraska.org and at local vendors.

Lake Maloney is located 5 miles south of North Platte.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled a new set of goals for the current fiscal year as part of its annual business plan.

The list announced Wednesday includes new initiatives to improve birth outcomes in Nebraska, address prescription opioid abuse and reduce turnover among child welfare workers.

Other initiatives are continuing from the previous year, including maintaining the recent improvements made at ACCESS Nebraska, a service that helps Nebraskans apply for and renew public benefits.

Gov. Pete Ricketts says the business plan is part of his efforts to make the agency more efficient and responsive to the public.

The new plan covers the current fiscal year that began on July 1 and runs through June 30, 2019.

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — Two Colorado residents have been accused of counterfeiting money in western Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 32-year-old Christopher Humphries, of Denver, and 31-year-old Jaclyn Greer-Humphries, of Fort Collins, were arrested July 5 after officers searched their residence in Sidney. The patrol says investigators found counterfeit money and items being used to make the fake cash.

Both are charged with forgery and criminal possession of forgery devices. Humphries also is charged with terroristic threats. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press. A phone listed for her attorney rang unanswered during several calls seeking comment.

Both are due back in court Friday for a preliminary hearing.