“I had some complications during my pregnancy with my second son,” said Hepp, 29, of Rockwell City. “Anytime I felt something was off, I appreciated how my doctor listened to my concerns and ordered blood tests, ultrasounds or whatever was necessary to make me feel reassured that my baby was OK.”

Her doctor, Dr. Susan Hornback, was a great help in the delivery room when it was time to push, Hepp added. Hornback is one of three OB providers (along with Dr. Derek Duncan and Dr. Julia Richardson, who was born at Stewart Memorial) who deliver babies in Lake City.

Stewart Memorial’s health care providers also offer perinatal services at all four clinics that the hospital serves in Lake City, Rockwell City, Gowrie and Lake View.

These services make Stewart Memorial somewhat of a rarity in rural health care today. More than half (55 percent) of rural U.S. hospitals now lack labor and delivery services, according to a recent report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Jenni Macke, a registered nurse and supervisor in the obstetrics department at Stewart Memorial Community Hospital in Lake City, is the hospital’s latest recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Macke has worked at Stewart Memorial for 36 years.

A 2022 report from Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Public Health reveals that Iowa has experienced the closure of 41 birthing units since 2000. Today, a majority (62%) of rural Iowa hospitals do not have labor and delivery services, according to the nonprofit March of Dimes. In addition, a third (33%) of Iowa’s counties are classified as maternity-care deserts (a county where access to maternity health care services is limited or absent).

“We’re fortunate to live in a community with such a resourceful hospital,” said MaeLaan Magnani, 32, of Lake City, who gave birth to all five of her children (who range in age from 8 years old to 2 months) at Stewart Memorial. “It’s so convenient to not have to travel outside of town to get full care to have a baby.”

Living in the same town where the local hospital is located also relieves a lot of stress, Magnani added. “Help is always very near.”

Providing this level of care is important to the Stewart Memorial team, said CEO Lynn Block.

“At a time when many rural hospitals are facing challenges in maintaining obstetric services, meeting financial responsibilities, and maintaining high-quality levels of care, it’s important to us to continue to offer exceptional services with personalized care, and continue offering the services our area residents have come to expect, including labor and delivery,” she said.

Providing award-winning care

The number of babies born each year at Stewart Memorial Community Hospital has stayed fairly stable in the last few years. There were 86 deliveries in 2023, and 83 deliveries in 2024 (including 48 boys and 35 girls).

“Here in Lake City, our average distance for deliveries has been 24 miles for the past two years,” Block said.

Less travel time is a plus, said Hepp, who lives on a farm near Rockwell City.

“What I like most about (Stewart Memorial) is that it has large-town facilities with a small-town feel,” she added. “The people are so friendly.”

The hospital has seven nurses who help with deliveries and four nurses who help with mothers’ postpartum needs.

Jenni Macke, a supervisor in the OB department, is the hospital’s latest recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

“The birth of a baby is a really happy time for a family,” said Macke, who has worked at Stewart Memorial for 36 years. “In some families, I’ve delivered two generations, including the mother and now her own babies.”

Macke was nominated for the DAISY Award by a patient who wanted to recognize the compassion she displayed.

“Jenni was my nurse at three of my four births,” the patient wrote in her nomination. “She never questioned my decision to have an unmedicated birth, rather she was always so positive and helpful in finding different positions to move things along. She is so positive, knowledgeable and compassionate. That first unmedicated birth was 19 hours long, and I couldn’t have done it without her!”

Classes, personalized services help families thrive

Stewart Memorial has three rooms where moms can give birth and stay before they go home.

“We don’t move them unless it’s necessary,” said Susan Stevens, a registered nurse who is the OB director.

The hospital’s team strives to accommodate each mother’s birth plan.

“Being a small hospital allows us more time to spend spoiling our mothers,” said Nurse Education Director Ashley Mork.

The hospital provides parents with an array of services, including the “Oh Baby Prenatal Class,” which covers pregnancy, labor and delivery, pain management, medical interventions, C-sections, postpartum care and recovery, infant CPR and safety, and more.

“There are so many things to know about labor, delivery, postpartum and caring for a newborn,” said Mork, a certified lactation specialist. “Prenatal classes are a great way for parents to prepare for their little one’s arrival.”

In addition, Stewart Memorial offers a Breastfeeding Basics class. All these classes provide science-based, reliable information, along with the opportunity to ask questions.

“I know there’s a lot of information on TikTok and Instagram, but it’s not always accurate,” Mork said. “I often share real-life stories throughout the class, so patients get a good look at what everything will truly look like.”

Magnani appreciates these personal touches.

“My doctor (Dr. Hornback) gets to know the moms personally, instead of just as a patient,” she said. “She wants each mother to have a personalized birth experience. She was a wonderful OB doctor to have.”

Hepp is grateful that her OB doctor is also her two sons’ pediatrician.

“Our family has had great experiences at SMCH,” said Hepp, whose husband, James, was born there in 1990. “I would highly recommend (Stewart Memorial) to any of my friends to deliver there.”