New space expands OBGYN inpatient services at UI Health Care
Part of a larger initiative, the project aims to improve maternal care to better serve growing families
University of Iowa Health Care now offers additional support for new parents with an enhanced inpatient unit for postpartum care.
The 30,000-square-foot renovation of level 7 of the John Pappajohn Pavilion (JPP) on UI Health Care’s university campus was completed on April 7, 2026, when staff welcomed parents and their new babies. This expansion is part of a broader UI Health Care initiative that increases the number of overall inpatient beds for maternal care to more than 60 beds on the university campus, designated as Iowa’s only Level 4 maternal care center by Iowa Health and Human Services. The renovation also includes dedicated exam room space, additional work areas to support staff, and a windowed area for viewing newborns.
The expansion is just one piece of UI Health Care’s role within the university facilities master plan that maps out the future of Iowa’s only comprehensive academic medical center. An additional phase of the larger project to expand maternal health care has also begun this year with an expanded and enhanced labor and delivery space.
“We’re committed to meeting Iowans’ needs for expanded maternity services across our entire health system. This project on our university campus increases our capacity to care for the most critical, high-risk pregnancies in a setting with the most advanced equipment and highest level of expertise anywhere in the state,” says Denise Jamieson MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “This initiative is possible thanks to broad and ongoing support across multiple fronts. We’re grateful to everyone involved in the expansion process, especially the community members who put their trust in us as they look to grow their families.”
The project, approved by the Iowa Board of Regents in summer 2024, is the latest effort by UI Health Care to address the capacity limitations on maternal health care services in the state.
“When we started this project, approximately 3,000 babies were born at our university campus every year and that number continues to grow,” says Christian Pettker, MD, chair and department executive officer of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UI Carver College of Medicine. “Our department will thrive in this expanded unit, allowing us to provide world-class care to families facing both normal and complex pregnancies. Opening this unit is a major milestone in our mission to face and overcome the challenges facing maternal health in Iowa, and our teams continue to develop innovative solutions to improve maternal health outcomes for all our patients.”
This latest project is part of UI Health Care’s multi-faceted approach to address the need for better access to maternal health care across the state. In addition to increasing postpartum care capacity on university campus and expanding access to labor and delivery services, efforts are also underway to provide outreach and training programs in rural communities.
