Dr. Fahnlander’s Kids
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MACS grad, Hall of Fame member has fan club of kids she’s delivered
During the Homecoming parade Friday, Tami Fahnlander, DO, was honored with a surprise parade float packed with many of the Ringgold County children she has delivered over the last 15 years. Dr. Fahnlander was also inducted into the MACS Hall of Fame last Saturday.
More than 50 students, young children and babies gathered on Friday, September 27 as a tribute to the doctor that helped usher them into the world. Mothers and children between one month to 16 years-old hopped aboard a parade float in Dr. Tami Fahnlander’s honor.
She was inducted into the Mount Ayr Community School Hall of Fame the following night.
A native of Tingley, Tami Fahnlander, DO, has cared for numerous Ringgold County mothers, providing obstetric and gynecology care in Des Moines.
She was very surprised by the large fan club who gathered to follow her through the homecoming parade on their own float.
Tami Fahnlander, DO (left) was surprised by many mothers and children she has cared for through the years.
“Abby had asked me if I was going to be able to come today, and she had mentioned something about getting a few people together,” said Dr. Fahnlander, “Oh my gosh, this is wild… look at these kids.”
Her family and friends have been especially fond of her through the years, and referred many mothers to her for prenatal care.
“A visit with Dr. Tami is the delight of anyone’s day,” Dr. Abby Elliott says.
She worked with Erin Leonard, Molly Kayser, and Molly Murphy to bring many of the families that Dr. Fahnlander has cared for together.
Both Molly Kayser, RN at Ringgold County Hospital, and her sister, Erin Leonard, ARNP at Mount Ayr Medical Clinic chose Dr. Fahnlander when having their own babies.
“Amanda Waske told me about her, and my sister Cody delivered with her,” said Courtney Sheil.
Sheil doctored and delivered her three youngest children with Dr. Fahnlander. Amanda Waske happens to be Dr. Fahnlander’s cousin, and the two grew up together, just a few years apart in school.
One mother had a unique relationship with her, remembering her from her own childhood.
“She used to babysit us,” said Christina Sobotka, “we were probably 5-7 years old.”
Then, the two ladies formed an even deeper bond as Sobotka traveled to Des Moines to see Dr. Fahnlander for all her OB care.
“We were both having kids at the same time,” said Sobotka, “she was back in time to deliver my children.”
Tara Wurster holds Dr. Fahnlander’s littlest fan, Mavia, next to the parade float packed with children she has helped deliver.
Even the most recent Ringgold County baby delivered by Dr. Fahnlander, Mavia Wurster, and her mother came to honor the beloved doctor.
“She’s made a huge impact, and continues to,” said new mom Tara Wurster.
Signs attached to the parade trailer noted “41 Ringgold County babies have been delivered by Tami since 2019 – that is more than some Mount Ayr graduating classes!”
Six years ago, Mount Ayr Medical Clinic began a unique prenatal partnership with Dr. Fahnlander to provide shared care.
Mothers can choose to have their women’s health visits with either Katie Wilcox, DO or Erin Leonard, ARNP and continue prenatal care locally up to 34 weeks. The two local providers work with Dr. Fahnlander to transition care once mothers approach their final weeks of pregnancy.
“There’s so many rural areas that don’t do OB anymore, and obviously it’s an inconvenience to have to go all the way to the city,” says Dr. Fahnlander, “Providers who are willing to do some prenatal care, it’s good for the patients and good for the community and good for us to be able to work together.”
“Dr. Wilcox and I went to Count the Kicks last fall, and they were talking about what to do,” Leonard said, “They don’t need more delivery hospitals, because that’s not realistic, they need more people to do it.”
“Iowa is a big OB desert,” said Dr. Fahnlander, “So many of the counties, they don’t have delivery providers.”
In fact, one third of Iowa’s 99 counties, including Decatur and Ringgold county, are considered maternity care deserts according to a March of Dimes report.
Many rural areas do not have access to birthing facilities or maternity care providers within 30 minutes, which means women travel three times farther than those with full access.
More information and additional resources can be found in the March of Dimes report “Where You Live Matters: Maternity Care Deserts and the Crisis of Access and Equity.”
