Le Mars, Iowa — At a time when many rural hospitals are closing their birthing units, a medical center in northwest Iowa is planning a significant expansion.
Tara Geddes, chief nursing officer at Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars, says construction will start on a major project next spring that will broaden the scope of the maternal care department.
One of the first things moms-to-be will notice is the larger rooms, which Geddes says are getting a much-needed update.
Geddes says the hospital strives to meet the expectations of patients, and the plans call for a new arrangement for care rooms that should make the process a little easier for mothers.
Radio Iowa reported on a University of Iowa study in May that found rural Iowa hospitals are losing birthing centers at “striking” rate, with the statewide number of labor and delivery centers falling from 77 in 2000 to just 46 in 2020. Geddes says the expansion in Le Mars will represent a change of setting, but not a change in care.
Construction will begin in March and should take about a year and a half.
