MercyOne Launches Program to Transport Expectant Mothers in Need of Maternal Care | Waterloo

WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL) – A new service is helping expectant mothers get the care they need and, in some cases, even get them to a hospital that can provide them with appropriate care.

A new service is helping expectant mothers get the care they need, particularly mothers who go into labor early and who may have complicated deliveries.

One of the first patients helped by this new service is a Waterloo woman who went into labor early and was flown to Des Moines to ensure the health of her babies.

Dr. Ryan Beardsley explained: “I was worried that if she didn’t get there before the babies were delivered, there was a risk that the babies would have long-term problems, have health problems and might not even make it.”

These twins are now in the Des Moines NICU and are getting stronger every day.

From an ambulance to air support in some situations, this program provides mothers experiencing labor complications with the care they need as quickly as possible.

Like Dr. Beardsley explains there is a shortage of gynecologists, a problem that is particularly prevalent in Iowa.

He said: “There is a shortage of labor and delivery units in the US and Iowa has been hit harder than most states. There is a shortage of gynecologists. Iowa, at least last time I checked, was actually near the bottom of the list for the number of gynecologists.

That’s a problem this program aims to solve by giving all Iowa residents the opportunity to get to Des Moines, where they have a NICU that can perform very complicated deliveries, which many facilities in Iowa cannot is the case.

Ryan Gochoel, regional director of MercyOne Emergency Transport, added: “They can deliver a baby, but they don’t have the experience to adequately care for the complicated deliveries or deliveries with complications or preterm births that our neonatal team performs here. “This will place a greater burden on facilities that provide this obstetric care.