The Richard O. Jacobson Foundation gives $4.5 million to improve pediatric specialty care for Iowa’s children

The Richard O. Jacobson Foundation has given $4.5 million to create two endowed chairs in the University of Iowa Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, part of the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, and to help expand specialty pediatric services the University of Iowa offers in the Des Moines area, in collaboration with Blank Children’s Hospital. 

“This significant investment from the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation will help us address the shortage of pediatric specialists in Iowa and advance our goal of creating a statewide system of care that provides comprehensive health care for all children,” said Raphael Hirsch, MD, UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital physician-in-chief, and chair, UI Stead Family Department of Pediatrics. “This gift will help us attract and retain national leaders who will grow our pediatric programs.”

“Children in Iowa deserve the best care,” said Steve Stephenson, MD, president and chief operating officer at Blank Children’s Hospital. “Through this gift, we are able to build the infrastructure needed to bring even more pediatric experts to the state, so that families of children with complex medical conditions do not need to travel out of state to receive care.”  

The funding will create an endowment to support two faculty positions within the UI Stead Family Department of Pediatrics to be named the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation Chairs in Pediatrics. It will also help further collaboration between the two hospitals, supporting training and recruitment of pediatric specialists to Iowa. UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital currently collaborates with Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines to provide kidney care to pediatric patients in Des Moines, allowing more convenient access for families in central Iowa, especially those from surrounding communities and rural areas.