University of Iowa Health Care will open a family medicine clinic in Tiffin to address “care gaps” in Johnson County’s fastest-growing community.
The university received Iowa Board of Regents approval to sign a 15-year lease for the $7-8.5 million project. The school decided to lease rather than build, citing “ease of access from roadways, clinic accessibility, cost, size, and opportunity for expansion and growth.”
Tiffin’s continued expansion is a big reason why UI Health Care is moving in. The city’s population grew by 40 percent from 2020 to 2023, according to the U.S. Census. Tiffin was home to roughly 4,500 residents in 2020 and ballooned to 6,300 in 2023.
10,000-square-foot Tiffin facility in a key location
The 10,000-square-foot facility, located at the northwest corner of Highway 6 and Kimberlite Street near Tiffin City Park and Clear Creek Amana Elementary School, was recently built by TPV Commercial LLC.
The clinic will have 12 exam rooms, a lab, and a conference room for collaboration and support spaces. The Tiffin clinic will have five to six clinical providers with the potential for additional team members as the community expands.
The landlord and UI Health Care, according to board documents, will jointly design the facility, with the landlord holding both the design and construction contracts.
UI Health Care will pay rent, taxes, and maintenance costs. Operating costs will be $29,500, with the initial base rent costing $743,750 per year. After the first four years, there will be an annual two percent raise. UI Health Care can purchase the building in year 11.
UI Health Care’s growth aims to address gaps in community care
UI Health Care noted that Tiffin is “comprised primarily of young families and children.” The organization also noticed a lack of primary care facilities or providers in the community.
The closest UI family medicine clinics are the Oakdale Road clinic in Coralville and the Lininger Lane location in North Liberty.
“Family medicine services are in high demand in most communities across the state…” said Jeffrey Quinlan, MD, FAAFP, chair and department executive officer of Family and Community Medicine in a news release. “This is one example of how we are working to increase access… by providing more convenient locations, close to home.”
UI Health Care continues to grow across the state, with the acquisition of Mission Cancer + Blood in Dec. 2024 and new facilities popping up in the Des Moines metro, including an approved lease in Downtown Des Moines and a new clinic in the West Des Moines Suburb, Waukee. The Iowa Board of Regents’ approval came days before the North Liberty hospital campus opened its doors.
The Tiffin family medicine clinic will add to UI Health Care’s portfolio of 18 family medicine facilities across the state, most of which are in eastern Iowa.
Family medicine providers are often “the first point of contact for many people with health concerns” and provide “comprehensive care for people of all ages,” according to UI Health Care. Providers are also trained in obstetrics, “a critical skill set in Iowa, where there is a shortage of maternal health services.”
UI Health Care has been prioritizing family medicine, especially in obstetrics, and emphasizing maternal care, from the introduction of Master of Midwifery program in 2022 to the $74 million maternity unit expansion project at the John Pappajohn Pavilion.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: UI Health Care secures 15-year lease for 10,000 sq. foot family medicine clinic in TIffin
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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