Grant Funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow Myrtue to Expand the Emergency Room

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced funding to seven Iowa hospitals to expand access to healthcare. The program under the American Rescue Plan allows rural hospitals to expand and to provide access to COVID-19 vaccines, testing and supplies while helping rural health care providers stay financially solvent in the long-term. Seven awards of the Emergency Rural Health Care Grant will go to the rural Iowa hospitals for a total of $5,187,500. Myrtue Medical Center will receive $1 million of the grant to expand and renovate the Emergency Room.

“These grants are big investments in Iowa’s healthcare infrastructure, so that we can care for the people in our hometown communities and rural areas,” said Theresa Greenfield, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa.

Emergency departments across the nation are experiencing an overall increase in patient volume and Myrtue Medical Center is undergoing this volume increase as well. The physical space in the Emergency Room at Myrtue has not grown in over 20 years. With limited space and capacity, it is a difficult to have patients efficiently flow through the department.

“We are excited to receive this funding to support this important Emergency Room initiative,” said Barry Jacobsen, Myrtue Medical Center’s CEO. “Considering the challenges right now in workforce and supply shortages and resulting cost increases, it would be challenging to fund this project without financial support from the USDA. This grant will allow us to meet increasing demands for emergency services now and into the future. An expansion of the Emergency Department will provide the opportunity to better manage patient flow and address the needs of patients seeking emergency care.”

The expansion plan includes changing the existing physical layout to improve workflow by increasing the space, allowing for additional treatment rooms, including a mental health treatment room, centralized nursing stations, improve confidentially at the admissions desk and a larger waiting room.