Iowa
Four Iowa hospitals ranked among the best for maternity care by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News and World Report releases annual “Best Hospital” rankings
This year’s list features an “Honor Roll” of 22 hospitals, replacing rankings and focusing on specialties, conditions, procedures & regions.
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Four hospitals in Iowa, including one in Des Moines, have been named among the high performers for maternity care in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News analyzed 817 hospitals across the United States for seven metrics: rates for cesarean section, severe unexpected newborn complications, breast milk feeding, routine vaginal birth after cesarean deliveries and episiotomies and whether a hospital meets new federal criteria for “birthing-friendly” practices and tracks and reports outcomes for patients of different races and ethnicities.
Only half of evaluated hospitals were recognized as being among the best for maternity care.
The U.S. News ratings focused only on uncomplicated pregnancies and not high-risk ones, such as those involving mothers with diabetes or high blood pressure or who are pregnant with twins.
“The hospitals recognized by U.S. News as best hospitals for maternity care showcase exceptional care for expectant parents,” Jennifer Winston, a health data scientist at U.S. News, said in a news release. “These hospitals demonstrate significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.”
What Iowa hospitals were named best for maternity care by U.S. News?
The hospitals in Iowa City, Mason City and Cedar Rapids received excellent ratings for minimizing avoidable C-sections, with less than 24% occurring in connection with first-time, low-risk pregnancies at full term.
At MercyOne Des Moines, severe newborn complications were low compared to the other three hospitals, where complications occur at an average rate, U.S. News said. Severe newborn complications occur when full-term newborns with normal birth weight and no preexisting conditions are injured or develop infections.
The median hospital rate of severe newborn complications is 13 per 1,000 births, according to U.S. News.
MercyOne Des Moines, Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids and the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center all have an episiotomy rate of less than 5%. An episiotomy, a surgical cut made in the perineum during childbirth, is not recommended for routine use except in specific clinical cases.
The national and Midwest averages for babies exclusively breastfed during their hospital stay are 49% and 51%, respectively. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Mason City hospitals exceeded these averages, with Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids being the highest at 81%.
What other hospitals in the Midwest were named high-performing hospitals for maternity care by U.S. News?
Here are the number of hospitals recognized as high-performing for maternity care in states bordering Iowa.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
Iowa was once known as one of the top butter producers in America.
According to “The Annals of Iowa,” the Hawkeye State was second in America in dairy production in 1943. Iowa even reportedly produced one third of all butter made in the United States.
Iowa loves butter so much, the Iowa State Fair features a sculpture of a cow made mostly out of butter.
But did you know there are state laws about butter?
What’s the Iowa state law regarding butter?
According to Iowa state law, it is illegal to sell margarine as butter.
The state law says oleo, oleomargarine, or margarine must be labeled as such and the packaging should include a full and accurate statement of all ingredients it contains.
The state law also says that margarine or similar margarine products may not be advertised or represented in any form as a dairy product for purchase.
Misrepresentation of other dairy products such as renovated butter, imitation cheese, and nonfat dry milk is also illegal.
What’s the penalty for breaking this state law?
Under Iowa law, misrepresenting margarine as butter is a simple misdemeanor.
The penalty for a simple misdemeanor is a fine of at least of at least $105 and no more than $855. The court may also order a prison sentence of up to 30 days. The prison sentence may be ordered in place of the fine or in addition to the fine.
For restaurants and other eating establishments, violating this law could also result in the suspension of state-issued licenses for a year.
It may be slow and steady, but that is how the Iowa Hawkeyes have operated so successfully for so long. They just find ways to win games and did so again last weekend in a thrilling 25-24 comeback win over Penn State to move to 5-2 on the year.
The win sees Iowa also jump to 3-1 in Big Ten play and suddenly within striking distance of some of the top teams in America. The win also sees Iowa climb up the rankings in the latest USA TODAY College Football Re-Rank and into position for a late-season stretch run, something that has become a sort of staple under head coach Kirk Ferentz.
Like the US LBM Coaches Poll, which sees Iowa just on the outside looking in, this week’s re-rank sees Iowa closing in on the top 25. The Hawkeyes climbed four spots up to No. 29 and have a shot to continue their ascent this weekend.
The next one for the Iowa Hawkeyes is a big one. It is a protected rivalry game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the Floyd of Rosedale. Minnesota, coming off an upset of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, matches Iowa with a 5-2 overall record and 3-1 Big Ten mark as well. The Golden Gophers come in at No. 36 in the re-rank, a five-spot jump from last week after their win.
Iowa and Minnesota are set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 25, from Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and will be airing on CBS.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
As the Iowa State Cyclones prepare for a massive matchup against the BYU Cougars, the team is still trying to fill some needs for their 2026 recruiting class. Finding and developing talent is key for the program, and Matt Campbell has done an excellent job of getting the most out of his recruits.
The Cyclones got off to a great start to the season with a 5-0 record, but have recently fallen on some hard times, losing two straight games. This is a team that is hoping to compete for a Big 12 title this year, but that is going to become increasingly difficult.
While the team is trying to do what they can on the field, the program is also trying to have a Top 50 recruiting class. Unfortunately, despite being a bit late in the process, the Cyclones saw a couple of recruits recently decommit, which hurt the class.
I’m 100% COMMITTED to Iowa State University 🟡🔴!! @RitterPrep @BrennanSpain @AllenTrieu @CycloneFB @CoachRasheed @ISUMattCampbell @Coach_Broom pic.twitter.com/f6D0uBOjAT
— Jocques Felix (@jocques01) October 19, 2025
Fortunately, the team recently saw three-star defensive lineman Jocques Felix commit to the program. This was a swift decision by Felix, who has yet to visit the campus. The plan appears to be for him to make a trip sometime in November but adding him is an excellent get for coach Campbell and company.
Due to the recent loss of Brysen Wessell to the Missouri Tigers, adding Felix fills a need for the program. At 6’4”, 280 pounds already, there is a lot to like about how the young recruit could develop. Felix has the size to continue to add to his already big frame.
There is certainly reason to believe that he will be able to develop into a starting-caliber player for the program in the near future. This is a program that has been able to recently develop Domonique Orange into one of the best defensive tackles in the country.
The coaching staff will certainly be trying to help Felix get to that level as well in the coming years. Winning in the trenches is always an important thing and the Cyclones will now have Felix joining Daniel Howard in the 2026 class.
After some bad breaks in recruiting, seeing the quick commitment from Felix should help increase their overall class ranking. Iowa State has a chance to be a Top 50 class in 2026, and that would be a nice accomplishment for the program and highlight the improvements that they are making.
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