LINCOLN – Today, Governor Pete Ricketts and State leaders recognized the important contributions made by the Center of Operational Excellence (COE) to Nebraska’s pandemic response. As a division of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services (DAS), the COE spearheads the State’s process improvement initiatives. During this morning’s press conference, Gov. Ricketts credited the COE with having well prepared State teammates to respond to the sudden and unexpected changes caused by the coronavirus.
COE Director Matthew Singh overviewed the training the COE provides to State teammates. DAS Director Jason Jackson specifically highlighted the COE’s support of State procurement and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The State’s Chief Medical Officer and Director of Public Health, Dr. Gary Anthone, praised the COE for quickly gathering the data needed to assess statewide hospital capacity. He also thanked the COE for its efforts to arrange a weekly call among members of the state’s healthcare community to exchange critical information during the pandemic.
Additionally, Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) General Counsel Katie Thurber described process improvements that the COE helped the agency to identify and implement. These improvements enabled NDOL to efficiently process the four years’ worth of unemployment claims it received during a four-month stretch at the beginning of the pandemic.
Since May 2016, the COE has facilitated 575 process improvement projects. Collectively, these projects have saved over 630,000 hours of work, allowing State teammates to put an even greater focus on customer service. Examples of State of Nebraska projects supported by the COE are available at das.nebraska.gov/coe/projects.html.
Full video of today’s press event is available by clicking here.
Earlier this month, Gov. Ricketts proclaimed October as “Center of Operational Excellence” month in Nebraska. The proclamation is available by clicking here.
