Fort Madison Labor & Delivery to Close

One Less Birthing Hospital in Iowa

After a brief respite, with no labor & delivery closures announced since October 2024, Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison announced it will close its Labor & Delivery at the end of the year. 2026. The “Timeline of a Crisis” resource page on this website has been updated.

The sole Ob/Gyn delivering in Fort Madison will be retiring at the end of the year, and the hospital has been unable to recruit any others. There will be no birthing services in Lee County after this closure.

Federally funded Medicaid directed payments to hospitals have been largely responsible for keeping many of Iowa’s labor units open since 2024. The Big Beautiful Bill passed in summer 2025 discontinued these payments in favor of a new rural health fund.