Rural Healthcare Grant recipients pictured L-R: Mindy Fisher, Blairstown EMS; Mason Snitkey, Walker Fire Department; Brian Rowe, Coggon Fire & Rescue Association; Adam Rabe, Marengo First Responders; James Seely, Palo Fire Department.

Not pictured: Central City Volunteer Fire Association and United Way of East Central Iowa-Jones & Benton County Transportation Programs also received grant funds.


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Seven rural Eastern Iowa organizations are the recipients of $29,128.77 in grants as part of UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation’s Rural Healthcare Grant program.

Since the program began in 1980, the Foundation has awarded 240 grants totaling $587,545 to support emergency medical and transportation services in Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Delaware, Iowa, northern Johnson, Jones and Linn counties.

In the early 1980s, St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation’s Board of Directors recognized the need to support rural communities, especially Emergency Medical Services (EMS). They created the grant to help them purchase equipment and provide funding for training/education.

“We are extremely proud of this program,” said Melissa Winter, president of St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation. “We continue to understand how hard it is for many of these volunteer-led organizations to have the financial support they need to operate. These grants allow organizations to obtain state-of-the-art equipment and/or provide a non-emergency transportation program for their community.”

“Our Rural Healthcare Grant Program has continued and grow thanks to the generosity of our donors,” said Winter. “From annual donations to endowments, we have been blessed with community support for 40 years, which has allowed us to increase our funding to meet the growing needs of rural organizations.”

The 2026 St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation’s Rural Healthcare Grant Program recipients and items funded include:

  • Blairstown Volunteer Ambulance Service - one Nonin pulse oximeter/case/sensors; one Sapphire IV pump/case/supplies; one EZ-IO drill/case/needles; one RAD pulse oximeter kit with adult and pediatric sensors
  • Central City Volunteer Fire Association - two portable suction units
  • Coggon Fire & Rescue Department - two gluteal injection pads; one tibial IO pad; one trauma module set; one crash kelly; one compact suction unit
  • Marengo First Responders - three radios and three pagers
  • Palo Fire Department - one portable medical suction unit; two pulse oximeters; two CO single gas detectors; two ear thermometers; one capnography monitor; three handheld portable radios
  • United Way of East Central Iowa - Jones and Benton County transportation program funding
  • Walker Fire Department - two oxygen bags; one pulse oximeter; one Curaplex Assure Prism Kit; one stethoscope; one sphygmomanometer

Community members can support St. Luke’s Rural Healthcare Grant Program by giving contributions of any amount. Additional gifts build the endowment and help fund more rural healthcare needs.

More information about St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation initiatives and information about how to support them can be found by calling (319) 369-7716 or visiting stlukesfoundation.com.