University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Encyclopedia
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) is a 762-bed public teaching hospital
and level 1 trauma center affiliated with the University of Iowa
. UIHC is part of University of Iowa Health Care, a partnership that includes the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the University of Iowa Physicians group practice.
It is located in Iowa City, Iowa
at Melrose Avenue and Hawkins Drive near Kinnick Stadium
. At times during televised Hawkeye football
games, the hospital can be seen in the background. The hospital is one of three hospitals in Iowa City, the others being Mercy Hospital - Iowa City
and the Iowa City VA
Medical Center. UIHC employs over 7100 people.
The hospital is overseen by the Iowa Board of Regents. It is Iowa's only comprehensive, tertiary-level center and also its premier medical facility. In addition to taking care of local patients, people throughout the state and region are often referred to the University's hospitals for treatment of serious or complex illnesses or injuries.
to operate a small hospital in the community. Davenport, Iowa
physician Washington Freeman Peck and other physicians raised $5,000 to renovate a vacant school building known as Mechanics Academy into a 20-bed hospital. This hospital had two open wards for both men and women, four private rooms, and a surgical amphitheater. Dr. Peck convinced the Mother Superior
of the Davenport-based Sisters of Mercy to send nuns to Iowa City to help care for patients. This arrangement lasted until 1885, when the Sisters moved to a nearby vacant mission and opened Mercy Hospital one year later.
It soon became apparent that a new hospital was needed as the University was outgrowing its original facility. In 1896 the state of Iowa
approved the needed appropriations. A 65-bed hospital was built in 1898 where the school's Seashore Hall is now located. This facility was state of the art at the time of its construction, with both electrical lighting and steam heating. The hospital featured a 200-seat amphitheater for instructional purposes.
Following passage of indigent care laws in 1928, patient admissions increased greatly. The current hospital was built in 1928 as a 735-bed hospital. At the time of its construction, the hospital building was one of the largest in the country.
ing in 1939. Dr. Elmer L. DeGowin and his team were able to refrigerate, ship and use banked blood. The world’s first horizontal gastroplasty surgery for morbid obesity was performed at the hospital in 1971. In 1982, UIHC otolaryngologists were the first in the country to place a multichannel cochlear implant
in a person. More recently, in 2005, the Center of Excellence in Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, the world’s most advanced radiation oncology treatment center, opened.
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
and level 1 trauma center affiliated with the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. UIHC is part of University of Iowa Health Care, a partnership that includes the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the University of Iowa Physicians group practice.
It is located in Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
at Melrose Avenue and Hawkins Drive near Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, and known in the area simply as Kinnick, is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, in the sport of college football...
. At times during televised Hawkeye football
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
games, the hospital can be seen in the background. The hospital is one of three hospitals in Iowa City, the others being Mercy Hospital - Iowa City
Mercy Hospital - Iowa City
Mercy Hospital is a private not-for-profit Roman Catholic hospital located in Iowa City, Iowa. It is one of three hospitals in the city - the others being the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the Iowa City VA Medical Center. The hospital is located at 500 E. Market Street...
and the Iowa City VA
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
Medical Center. UIHC employs over 7100 people.
The hospital is overseen by the Iowa Board of Regents. It is Iowa's only comprehensive, tertiary-level center and also its premier medical facility. In addition to taking care of local patients, people throughout the state and region are often referred to the University's hospitals for treatment of serious or complex illnesses or injuries.
History
The University of Iowa began medical services in 1873 when its medical department entered into an agreement with the Sisters of MercySisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
to operate a small hospital in the community. Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
physician Washington Freeman Peck and other physicians raised $5,000 to renovate a vacant school building known as Mechanics Academy into a 20-bed hospital. This hospital had two open wards for both men and women, four private rooms, and a surgical amphitheater. Dr. Peck convinced the Mother Superior
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
of the Davenport-based Sisters of Mercy to send nuns to Iowa City to help care for patients. This arrangement lasted until 1885, when the Sisters moved to a nearby vacant mission and opened Mercy Hospital one year later.
It soon became apparent that a new hospital was needed as the University was outgrowing its original facility. In 1896 the state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
approved the needed appropriations. A 65-bed hospital was built in 1898 where the school's Seashore Hall is now located. This facility was state of the art at the time of its construction, with both electrical lighting and steam heating. The hospital featured a 200-seat amphitheater for instructional purposes.
Following passage of indigent care laws in 1928, patient admissions increased greatly. The current hospital was built in 1928 as a 735-bed hospital. At the time of its construction, the hospital building was one of the largest in the country.
National Distinctions
Ever since U.S.News & World Report began publishing its "Best Hospitals in America" reports in 1990, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has appeared on that list every year. In 2009, UI Hospitals and Clinics had three specialties ranked within the top 10 nationally: Otolaryngology (third); Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (sixth); and Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation (eighth). Other ranked specialties at UI Hospitals and Clinics include neurology/neurosurgery (22), cancer (27), kidney (34) and gynecology (36).- More than 270 UI Physicians have been named “Best Doctors in America” by their peers.
- Wellmark Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery
- NCI Comprehensive cancer centerNCI-designated Cancer CenterNCI-designated Cancer Centers are a group of approximately 66 cancer research institutions in the United States supported by the National Cancer Institute....
(one of less than 60 nationally). - Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence (first in Iowa)
- Development site of buffered aspirin, later marketed by Bristol-Meyers as Bufferin.
- First hospital in the U.S. to implant a multichannel cochlear implant that helps deaf patients hear sounds that can be interpreted as speech.
- First hospital in the world to implant a multichannel cochlear implant in a congenitally deaf child.
- First research center to discover the gene for open-angle glaucoma.
- First hospital in the world to use robotic surgery for removal of an adrenal carcinoma (an aggressive deadly tumor) and an adrenal mass from a pediatric patient.
- World's smallest patient (Nissen fundoplication in a 5.7 pound infant) to undergo gastric reflux surgery using the da Vinci robotic surgical system.
- First hospital in the U.S. to perform digital breast tomosynthesis imaging, which allows physicians to "page through" the interior of the breast without the superimposition of the other tissues.
Achievements
Several advances were pioneered at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. One such advance was the development of modern-day blood bankBlood bank
A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a division of a hospital laboratory where the storage of blood product occurs and where proper...
ing in 1939. Dr. Elmer L. DeGowin and his team were able to refrigerate, ship and use banked blood. The world’s first horizontal gastroplasty surgery for morbid obesity was performed at the hospital in 1971. In 1982, UIHC otolaryngologists were the first in the country to place a multichannel cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
in a person. More recently, in 2005, the Center of Excellence in Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, the world’s most advanced radiation oncology treatment center, opened.