DES MOINES, Iowa — MercyOne is hoping to address Iowa’s obstetrics provider shortage while also providing needed care to mothers with its new Maternal Transport Team.

On Tuesday MercyOne unveiled the new service at their Des Moines campus. The service pairs up specially trained Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) and Maternal nurses with the MercyOne Air Med Flight Team and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). The team also has access to external Fetal Heart Monitoring equipment, which allows providers to monitor patient vitals across the state and determine what care is needed.

According to MercyOne, about 20 years ago a similar program existed in Iowa, but it was underutilized and eventually ceased operations due to the significant number of OBs at the time. In recent years, the number of OBs in the state have decreased, especially in rural areas.

Ryan Gochoel, regional director of MercyOne Emergency Transport, said this team has been in the works for over a year and its aim is to ensure mothers and babies from anywhere in the state get the care they need.

“OB care in Iowa has been decreasing due to significant recruiting challenges, and over the past year we’ve been working to create this team to provide the highest level of care for these patients across the state,” Gochoel said.

MercyOne said this team has already been deployed and helped save the lives of twin girls who were born premature. According to MercyOne, the twin girls are still in the NICU but are growing and doing well.

To learn more about the Maternal Transport Team visit MercyOne’s website.

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