The maternal transport program helps Waverly’s mother deliver twins in just six months of pregnancy

WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG) – Jenna McCready thought her pregnancy pain was normal. But 26 weeks after giving birth to her twin daughters, she decided to go to MercyOne Hospital in Waterloo for safety reasons.

Then everything changed.

“I never imagined that an hour later I would be told I was four centimeters dilated,” she said.

To make matters worse? Waterloo’s MercyOne could only care for babies in the NICU who were at least 28 weeks old.

According to Dr. According to Ryan Beardsley, one of McCready’s doctors, this is partly because the number of available gynecologists across Iowa has been declining for years.

“It’s difficult to recruit people to go to the Midwest, the flyover states. I think that makes these statistics a little worse. It’s hard to get people here, it’s hard to get people to have a reason to stay here,” he said

But MercyOne’s Maternal Transport Program ensures patients receive that care…by flying the McCreadys to Des Moines by helicopter.

Little did she know that McCready would be the first Iowan to do so.

But less than 12 hours later, she met the newest members of her family: Magnolia and Stevie. Both were born weighing about 2 pounds.

And despite all the chaos that comes with helicopter transport, she says the maternal transport program is a necessity in a time of limited resources for reproductive care.

“It’s a scary thought because I know I’m not the only pregnant mom out there… They’re doing something to solve this problem and they showed it that day,” McCready said.

As part of the federal No Surprise Bill Act, it is also specifically designed to provide financial relief to patients.

“The No Surprise Bill Act means that as providers of air ambulance services, we cannot bill the patient. We can only bill the insurance and take what the insurance gives us. So that’s our goal. “We want patients to have peace of mind about their recovery and not have to worry about paying for care,” said Ryan Gochoel, regional director of emergency transportation for MercyOne.

As for McCready, she says her two daughters are doing well, having recently gained 5 pounds. She hopes to take them home before the New Year.

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