The Wellmark Foundation is investing $5.3 million to strengthen health care in rural Iowa, including north-central communities. The funding supports the University of Iowa College of Nursing’s Simulation in Motion-Iowa program, or SIM-IA. The program uses mobile training units to bring high-tech, hands-on clinical education directly to small hospitals, EMS agencies, and first responders.
The training includes scenarios such as trauma care, cardiac arrest and high-risk obstetrics. More than half of Iowa’s counties lack obstetric services, and many rural responders don’t have easy access to continuing education. Laura Jackson, Wellmark’s executive vice president of health improvement, says where you live should not determine the care you receive. She says the program removes barriers of cost and access and builds confidence in care teams.
SIM-IA aims to reach 86 Iowa counties at least twice a year, with one visit focused on maternal health.
Read the full press release here: 2025_sim-ia-final-news-release-8-18-25
