02/26/2026
“Combating home birth stigma and prioritizing patient care” THIS is how you collaborate and create good care in your community ♥️👏 We have had the great pleasure of working with Boone for a while now with much success.  We can speak directly to the OB team and our clients feel confident going into a place that is welcoming. I know most people dont think about traveling outside of the metro area to have their baby, but I can assure you they give fantastic care.  I am glad to hear that they are becoming more popular. 
Rural maternity care has faced growing challenges in recent years. Since the end of 2020, more than 120 rural hospitals across the U.S. have closed their labor and delivery units, and 41 have closed in Iowa alone since 2000. As local options disappear, pregnant patients — particularly those seeking home births — are increasingly forced to travel farther for care if complications arise. At Boone County Hospital (B*H), we’ve seen this impact firsthand.
Our 25-bed Critical Access Hospital in Boone, Iowa, began experiencing an increase in transfers from home birth patients who had “risked out” of their level of care. These patients reported positive experiences with B*H, attracting a growing number of patients from a wider region, including the greater Des Moines area.
www.boonehospital.com/about-us/news-library/a-collaborative-path-to-improving-maternal-health
