Hospitals and Clinics of Family Medicine Residency | Iowa Lutheran
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Our Hospital and Clinics

Iowa Lutheran Hospital

Serving central Iowa since 1914, Iowa Lutheran Hospital provides inpatient care to more than 10,000 individuals each year and outpatient services to nearly 100,000.

A full-service community hospital with 224 staffed beds, Iowa Lutheran specializes in cardiovascular care, maternity and women's services, emergency treatment, chemical dependency treatment, behavioral medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, transitional care and critical care.

Iowa Lutheran is also home to Iowa's largest private, hospital-based mental health facility. Combining advanced medical care with psychiatric diagnostic and treatment capabilities, it addresses mental illness and emotional or behavioral problems alike.

The hospital's history has been filled with firsts. It founded America's first polio clinic (1942), Des Moines' first kidney dialysis center (1971) and Iowa's first multiple sclerosis center (1988).  Education has always played an important role at Iowa Lutheran.

For physicians, the hospital's Family Medicine Residency Program was established in 1973. This highly-regarded program has trained hundreds of family medicine physicians who have gone on to practice in towns all over Iowa and the Midwest . Iowa Lutheran's unique environment gives these residents a wide variety of medical experiences through a tightly knit, community-based program. The commitment of Iowa Lutheran Hospital to the community it serves is illustrated in part by its support of maternal and childcare services at La Clinica de La Esperanza.

Please enjoy the video tour of our hospital. 



Learn more about Iowa Lutheran Hospital. 

La Clinica De La Esperanza

We have a sister clinic, La Clinica de la Esperanza (The Clinic of Hope). La Clinica is comprised of a team of medical professionals that are dedicated to serving the community as a consistent medical home for the Spanish-speaking Latino immigrant families and for others in the community without health insurance.

La Clinica was established in 1995 by UnityPoint Health - Des Moines residency faculty and community organizers who recognized the need for a rapidly growing and underinsured population of Latino women to have healthcare. Today, La Clinica is a full service clinic that offers culturally competent care by providing a bilingual staff.

La Clinica was recognized for being an outstanding community resource with a nomination for the 2010 Aurora Award. La Clinica de la Esperanza 2010 statistics include:

  • 8,167 patients were cared for at the clinic.
  • 78% of patients started prenatal care in the first trimester of their pregnancy.
  • 82% of children visiting the clinic received immunizations on schedule.
  • 100% of children visiting the clinic received developmental screenings.
  • All families with children under the age of six were offered the H1N1 vaccine.

We provide OB  clinics two afternoons each week and through this experience, residents see how quality healthcare can be provided at reduced cost.

Other community activities in which our residents participate on a regular basis include the following:

  • Refugee physicals
  • Health class presentations at our local grade school
  • Nursing home rounds
  • Patient home visits
  • Medical back up for hospitalized mental health patients

In 2018, La Clinica was merged with UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine-East Des Moines.

UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine-East Des Moines

The UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine-East Des Moines (UPC FM-EDM) is the continuity clinic for our residency program. It is conveniently located just across the street from Iowa Lutheran Hospital .

The 36 exam rooms provide plenty of space for up to 20 residents and seven full-time family physicians. The UPC FM-EDM team also includes a clinical pharmacist, behavioral therapist and patient educator. The clinic has laboratory and radiology departments with full-time laboratory and radiology technicians. All of these professionals are actively involved in resident teaching. Several community family physicians also staff the clinic on a regular basis, providing more diversified training to residents. Here, residents learn how to manage and care for office patients in a productive and efficiently managed clinic.

The average time spent in the clinic by a first year resident is five hours per week. Second year residents spend an average of 10 hours per week in the clinic, and third year residents average 15 to 20 hours per week. Each resident has a workspace and is provided a laptop computer. We are fully implemented in a web based electronic medical record. Other highlights of UPC FM-EDM include several osteopathic manipulation tables, a DEXA scanner, point of care ultrasound, and a library with many reference materials.

The UPC FM-EDM boasts a very diverse patient population, including patients from every age group, varied ethnic backgrounds and a broad socioeconomic range. We are located in a stable working neighborhood. Many multi-generation families have been using our clinic for years. We care for several immigrant groups such as Hispanics, Southeast Asians and Somalians.

The UPC FM-EDM is a modern facility which teaches best practice in a real life setting. Our strengths include solid procedural training, a diversified patient population and a strong family physician staff.