To accommodate the fastest-growing city in Iowa, University of Iowa Health Care celebrated the opening of its new family medicine clinic in Tiffin. The clinic hosted a crowd of UIHC physicians, Tiffin residents, and the mayor of Tiffin at an unveiling ceremony Tuesday.
While fully staffed, the clinic will have five providers, 12 exam rooms, and one procedure room. At full capacity, the five providers can take care of about 10,000 patients.
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The clinic’s location on the Northwest corner of Highway 6 and Kimberlite Street is opportune due to the town’s recent growth. According to a special census conducted in 2025, Tiffin’s population is 7,577, about a 68 percent increase from its population in 2020.
Rural hospitals across Iowa have been closing frequently due to Medicaid cuts and staff shortages. Hospitals in Ottumwa, Des Moines, Clinton, and Council Bluffs have all closed in 2026. Many other hospitals have stopped providing specific types of care, specifically labor and delivery services, according to the Iowa Coalition for Reproductive Freedom.
Iowa, as a result, has many areas considered maternity care deserts, or areas lacking access to obstetricians, birthing hospitals, or prenatal care.
Johnson County Public Health Social Determinants of Health Coordinator Jamie Gade said people from several counties away regularly come to Johnson County for healthcare. Gade said because rural areas lack availability for primary care, the closest option is often in Johnson County.
“It’s just doing what we can here in the county to take care of people,” Gade said.
Dr. Denise Jamieson, the vice president for Medical Affairs at the Carver College of Medicine, said the Tiffin clinic is a step toward supporting Iowa’s struggling healthcare system.
“Our mission is to serve all of Iowa,” Jamieson said. “That doesn’t just mean we provide healthcare to all of Iowa. It means that we support other health systems and other rural hospitals to provide care, so we provide care in a variety of different ways depending on the needs of the community.”
As Tiffin’s population is growing rapidly, the clinic will focus largely on family medicine, which entails health care for people of any age. At the clinic’s opening ceremony, several medical providers spoke, including Jamieson.
She said family medicine is important in a town like Tiffin, and noted the positive impact of expanding health care access in smaller communities.
“In one day, a family physician might deliver a baby, help a patient manage diabetes, remove a skin lesion, and treat a child’s ear infection,” Jamieson said.
Dr. Jeffrey Quinlan, the chair of UI Health Care’s Department of Family Medicine, also spoke at the ceremony. He listed the types of care provided at the clinic, which range from pediatric to geriatric care.
“As the city continues to grow, we’re gonna be here to beat the needs of all the people around,” Quinlan said.
Tiffin Mayor Tim Kasparek concluded the ceremony by speaking on the benefits of the clinic and what it means for Tiffin’s community.
“What everybody does need is health care,” Kasparek said. “It’s really exciting to see symbolic progression of where we’re at as a community, and this building represents that.”
“Today’s celebration is really about more than bricks and mortar. It’s about making sure that, as Tiffin grows, access to health care grows along with it,” Jamieson said.
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