Governor Reynolds proposed the Centers of Excellence pilot program to drive innovation and collaboration among regional healthcare providers in specific areas of medicine.

In May 2021, Governor Kim Reynolds proposed the Centers of Excellence pilot program to drive innovation and collaboration among regional healthcare providers in specific areas of medicine. St. Anthony Regional Hospital was selected as one of two initial recipients for the pilot program funding, using the funds to improve access to maternal care for expectant mothers and their babies in rural Iowa.

Since then, St. Anthony has continued to secure Centers of Excellence funding, receiving grants for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and now 2024-2025 program periods. In the current round, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services awarded St. Anthony $212,500, reinforcing the hospital’s commitment to advancing maternal and infant health services for the west-central Iowa region.

Rural hospitals across Iowa have faced significant declines in labor and delivery services over the past two decades, a trend that has been particularly concerning in rural communities. The Centers of Excellence funding will help St. Anthony continue to meet these critical needs, particularly in areas where access to these services is increasingly limited.

“This new round of Centers of Excellence funding will be focused on continuing the successful postpartum support group, prenatal and childbirth education classes, and community outreach to EMS and hospitals who no longer deliver,” said Ashleigh Wiederin, RN, OB Outreach Coordinator at St. Anthony.

In 2023, The Birth Place at St. Anthony delivered nearly 350 babies from fourteen counties including Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Crawford, Dickinson, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Pocahontas, Polk, Sac and Shelby. St. Anthony remains dedicated to providing quality care for expectant mothers and newborns and improving health outcomes for families across rural Iowa.

Postpartum Support Group photos below. Governor Kim Reynolds visited on June 8, 2023.

Governor Kim Reynolds and Ashleigh Wiederin, OB Outreach Coordinator

Student experience with Sara Knobbe, RN at The Birth Place