Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced the awardees of Iowa’s Centers of Excellence Program grant totaling more than $2.2 million in funding to support and improve healthcare delivery in rural Iowa.
Centers of Excellence increase access to specialized multi-disciplinary care and are devoted to tackling the major health needs and disparities confronting rural Iowans. The awarded funds will help regional and local health systems build and enhance systems to ensure rural Iowans have the same access to specialized care as those living in metro areas.
Mahaska Health is the first Iowa Critical Access Hospital to implement four designated Centers of Excellence. Centers of Excellence increase access to multi-disciplinary care. Funding awarded to Mahaska Health will expand innovative care models specializing in specific areas of medicine by offering a variety of services and treatments and creating regional access to specialty care.
“Our mission is to deliver the highest quality of personalized care and treatment for our patients and our communities. We offer over 75 medical specialties here at Mahaska Health. Centers of Excellence serve as coordinated systems of care that provide specialty services to meet the health care needs across southeast Iowa.” Dr. Daniel Kollmorgen, Mahaska Health Oncology Director
“The Centers of Excellence grants not only support health care providers in improving access to specialty care in rural communities, but sustaining it long term I’m thrilled that this program will help three more regional health systems address the specific needs of their surrounding communities, and I’m committed to growing legislative support for these efforts.” Governor Kim Reynolds
The Centers of Excellence grant at Mahaska Health will be led by its care teams and medical directors: Dr. Trish Millner, OB and Birthing Center Medical Director, Dr. Daniel Kollmorgen, Oncology Medical Director, Dr. John Pargulski, Cardiology Medical Director, Dr. Timothy Breon, Chief Medical Officer, and Surgery Medical Director, Dr. Matthew Gritters, Emergency Services Medical Director, Dr. Shawn
Richmond, Primary Care Medical Director, Andrea Hagist, Chief Nursing Officer, Amy Fernandez, Executive Director of Specialty Clinics; and our new OB-GYN physicians Dr. Taylar Swartz-Summers and Dr. Garth Summers.
Iowa was recently ranked second in the nation among all states for the best health systems based on cost, access, and outcomes. Funding for this grant award includes $250,000 per year for three years to Mahaska Health and may be used for activities such as, but not limited to:
Increasing specialty care providers
Redesigning or remodeling physical space to accommodate expanding services
Investments in necessary technology
Expanding regional partnerships to deliver coordinated care
