The Iowa Clinic Broadens OB/GYN Services as State Confronts Escalating Maternal Health Challenges

Dr. Alicia Toncar

Amid Iowa’s growing maternal health care crisis, The Iowa Clinic is expanding its OB/GYN services with the addition of Dr. Alicia Toncar to its Women’s Center. This strategic investment underscores the Clinic’s commitment to ensuring women and families across the state have continued access to high-quality, local obstetrics and gynecologic care.

Dr. Toncar, a central Iowa native, joins the team with a passion for compassionate, patient-centered women’s health. After completing her residency at Kern Medical in California, she returned home to serve the community where she was raised. Dr. Toncar chose obstetrics and gynecology for its unique mix of clinic, surgical and inpatient care and for the opportunity to form lifelong relationships with patients through every stage of womanhood.

“I’m looking forward to caring for women in the community that helped shape me, and to being part of an organization that truly prioritizes exceptional patient care,” said Toncar.

Access to OB/GYN Care is shrinking in Iowa:

• Nearly one-third of Iowa’s 99 counties are classified as maternity care deserts, having no OB/GYNs or birthing hospitals, according to the March of Dimes 2024 report.

• Statewide, there are only 3.3 OB/GYNs per 10,000 women of reproductive age, significantly below the national average of 4.5.

• Access continues to decline as community hospitals close labor and delivery units due to staffing shortages, reimbursement challenges, and declining birth rates.

The Iowa Clinic remains focused on growing its Women’s Center footprint to meet the pressing need for OB/GYN care across the state. With a multi-specialty model, electronic health record continuity, and a coordinated approach to delivery at multiple hospitals in the Des Moines metro, the Clinic has established itself as a leader in women’s health.