Next week, University of Iowa Health Care will petition the Iowa Board of Regents for permission to pursue a $74 million, 30,000-square-foot renovation to expand labor, delivery and postpartum patient care on the seventh floor of the John Pappajohn Pavilion. The 33-year-old building is one of four pavilions at UI Health Care’s main hospital, and […]
Next week, University of Iowa Health Care will petition the Iowa Board of Regents for permission to pursue a $74 million, 30,000-square-foot renovation to expand labor, delivery and postpartum patient care on the seventh floor of the
John Pappajohn Pavilion.
The 33-year-old building is one of four pavilions at UI Health Care's main hospital, and renovations would eliminate $1.5 million in building renewal costs, the request stated.
“UI Heath Care has an increasing need for inpatient beds, with postpartum needs being especially acute. This expansion would help address the current need, as well as the anticipated future postpartum growth. This project would support the increasing volume of deliveries and support the growth of the midwifery program,” the request said.
Over 3,000 babies are delivered each year at UI Health Care’s university campus,
the hospital reported, and “that number continues to grow as access to maternal health care services across the state becomes more constrained.”
As part of the university's long-term facilities master plan unveiled years ago, the proposed renovation will boost the number of inpatient beds for antepartum and postpartum care from 38 to 61. Additionally, the university intends to expand its labor and delivery capacity in the coming years.
“The number of babies born at UI Health Care’s university campus has grown dramatically in recent years. We have been exploring multiple options to meet this demand, taking into account the additional capacity of our
downtown campus, which provides excellent maternity services for low-risk pregnancies in a convenient community setting,” said Denise Jamieson MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine.
“Even with downtown campus as an added resource, we still need to increase capacity on university campus. We appreciate everyone involved in the planning process, and we are pleased to move forward with a plan that will increase maternal health care bed capacity while maintaining operational efficiency and the highest quality care,” she added.
Expanding antepartum and postpartum care capacity on the university campus, along with enhancing labor and delivery services, is just one part of UI Health Care's multi-faceted approach to addressing the need for better access to maternal health care across the state – additionally, it will be providing outreach and training programs in rural communities.
The renovations to the John Pappajohn Pavilion are
one of many construction projects currently underway or kicking off this summer on the university's campus – renovations and expansions are also happening in the burn unit, emergency department, neurology clinic, and neonatal intensive care unit.
“The expansion of maternity health services on university campus is just one piece of a broader plan to increase access as an integrated health system that serves the entire state,” said Dr. Jamieson. “It’s about continuing to provide all Iowans with access to outstanding clinical care.”
