UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Receives Maternal Health Excellence Grant
Aug 08, 2025
UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) was awarded the Center of Excellence Grant by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services for July 2025 – June 2026. The $212,500 grant for 2025 – 2026 is a targeted continuation of the Iowa HHS grant of the same name, with the initial planning period monies presented to UnityPoint Health in December of 2021, and subsequent continuation awarded to UnityPoint Health – Grinnell each year since to establish Iowa’s framework to sustain access to high quality, obstetric (OB) services for rural populations.
“We remain dedicated to providing quality maternal health care for patients and families in our region,” says Laura Juel, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, vice president of nursing and clinical services at GRMC. “We are committed to the growth and outreach of this vital healthcare service, including education and resources, prenatal care, labor and delivery services and postpartum support.”
From July 2024 – June 2025, GRMC focused grant funding on maternal health outreach, postpartum support and connecting new parents with the resources they need, including perinatal mental health services through the UnityPoint Health – Grinnell Behavioral Health Clinic offering with a telehealth provider. These efforts resulted in 135 obstetrics patients cared for from June 2024 – May 2025 at UnityPoint Health – Grinnell’s clinic outreach in Marshalltown. Additionally, 143 non-obstetrics women’s health patients were cared for at the same Marshalltown outreach. The tele-mental health clinic averages 5 – 10 perinatal referrals a month.
UnityPoint Health – Grinnell also launched an initiative called the Village Closet, through their Public Health team. The Village Closet supports expectant mothers, caregivers, grandparents and foster parents in need throughout pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life. Available items depend on donations, but are free of charge including car seats, baby clothes, maternity clothes, bottles, diapers, breastfeeding items and more. Similar to the Life with Baby postpartum support group that is offered through UnityPoint Health – Grinnell, it is not a requirement to be a UnityPoint Health patient to attend support group or utilize the Village Closet.
Certified lactation experts continue to support patients through inpatient, public health and clinic care, providing education and one-on-one assistance for a breastfeeding parent, helping them reach their individual breastfeeding goals. Lactation guidance is also offered to postpartum support group attendees.
In the new grant period, UnityPoint Health – Grinnell will continue maternal health and postpartum outreach, Life with Baby postpartum support group and the Village Closet, and connect patients to education, resources and supports they need, including mental health services. Additionally, GRMC has started construction on their OB unit expansion and renovation. This multi-phase construction project will take place over the next two years to ensure the service remains functional for patient care 24/7 to add a fourth labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) room, renovate the existing LDRP rooms at GRMC and create a new entrance to the unit.
UnityPoint Health – Grinnell provides high quality, close-to-home maternity care to families in a six-county region where maternal health care and OB delivery can be difficult to access, serving four neighboring counties with no labor and delivery care.
Providers at UnityPoint Health – Grinnell’s Family Practice Clinic and Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic provide OB outreach at the UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown Multi-Specialty Clinic to bring OB care offerings closer to more parents-to-be. They are accepting new OB patients. Call (641) 236-2905 to schedule an appointment to see an OB provider in Grinnell or Marshalltown.
“We remain dedicated to providing quality maternal health care for patients and families in our region,” says Laura Juel, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, vice president of nursing and clinical services at GRMC. “We are committed to the growth and outreach of this vital healthcare service, including education and resources, prenatal care, labor and delivery services and postpartum support.”
From July 2024 – June 2025, GRMC focused grant funding on maternal health outreach, postpartum support and connecting new parents with the resources they need, including perinatal mental health services through the UnityPoint Health – Grinnell Behavioral Health Clinic offering with a telehealth provider. These efforts resulted in 135 obstetrics patients cared for from June 2024 – May 2025 at UnityPoint Health – Grinnell’s clinic outreach in Marshalltown. Additionally, 143 non-obstetrics women’s health patients were cared for at the same Marshalltown outreach. The tele-mental health clinic averages 5 – 10 perinatal referrals a month.
UnityPoint Health – Grinnell also launched an initiative called the Village Closet, through their Public Health team. The Village Closet supports expectant mothers, caregivers, grandparents and foster parents in need throughout pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life. Available items depend on donations, but are free of charge including car seats, baby clothes, maternity clothes, bottles, diapers, breastfeeding items and more. Similar to the Life with Baby postpartum support group that is offered through UnityPoint Health – Grinnell, it is not a requirement to be a UnityPoint Health patient to attend support group or utilize the Village Closet.
Certified lactation experts continue to support patients through inpatient, public health and clinic care, providing education and one-on-one assistance for a breastfeeding parent, helping them reach their individual breastfeeding goals. Lactation guidance is also offered to postpartum support group attendees.
In the new grant period, UnityPoint Health – Grinnell will continue maternal health and postpartum outreach, Life with Baby postpartum support group and the Village Closet, and connect patients to education, resources and supports they need, including mental health services. Additionally, GRMC has started construction on their OB unit expansion and renovation. This multi-phase construction project will take place over the next two years to ensure the service remains functional for patient care 24/7 to add a fourth labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) room, renovate the existing LDRP rooms at GRMC and create a new entrance to the unit.
UnityPoint Health – Grinnell provides high quality, close-to-home maternity care to families in a six-county region where maternal health care and OB delivery can be difficult to access, serving four neighboring counties with no labor and delivery care.
Providers at UnityPoint Health – Grinnell’s Family Practice Clinic and Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic provide OB outreach at the UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown Multi-Specialty Clinic to bring OB care offerings closer to more parents-to-be. They are accepting new OB patients. Call (641) 236-2905 to schedule an appointment to see an OB provider in Grinnell or Marshalltown.
