Sanford Health Physician Joins AHA Event on Rural Maternal Care

Physician leaders from Sanford Health are convening in Minneapolis to address the specific challenges of delivering maternity care in rural communities, according to news.sanfordhealth.org.

The discussions are part of the American Hospital Association’s “Patient Safety Innovation Convening: Improving Rural Maternal Outcomes through Technology, Partnership & Practice,” which runs through November 11. The event focuses on how technological integration and clinical partnerships can bridge the gap in obstetric services for remote populations.

Dr. Johnna Nynas, an OB/GYN and chair of women’s health at Sanford Health in Bemidji, Minnesota, is participating as a featured panelist. She will join a session titled “Keeping Care Close to Home: Why Rural Maternal Safety Matters,” moderated by Chris DeRienzo, the senior vice president and chief physician executive for the American Hospital Association.

Sanford to host event supporting women's health

The strategy for improving rural maternal health involves a shift toward long-term management rather than just acute hospital intervention. Dr. Nynas emphasized that the window for effective care begins well before labor starts.

“We have an opportunity to rethink how we deliver maternity care in rural communities,” said Dr. Nynas. “Improving maternal health care starts long before a woman arrives at the hospital in labor. Healthy pregnancies begin with healthy women. That means helping women manage chronic conditions, access preventive care and receive support throughout pregnancy and postpartum.”

Dr. Nynas serves as the lead architect and co-director of Families First: Rural Maternity Health Collaborative. This federally funded initiative aims to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes across northern Minnesota, specifically targeting the reduction of healthcare disparities among rural and Indigenous populations.

Her clinical work includes the development of virtual obstetric consultation services designed for critical access hospitals. These services, alongside expanded culturally responsive prenatal care and strengthened regional obstetric emergency readiness, are intended to ensure that a patient’s geography does not dictate the safety of their pregnancy.

The panel includes other regional healthcare leaders, such as Zander Abbott, CEO of Northfield Hospital and Clinic, and Katy Kozhimannil, Ph.D., co-director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. The group is examining how technology can mitigate the scarcity of specialized providers in low-population areas.

Dr. Nynas has been recognized for these efforts, receiving the 2026 Minnesota Hospital Association Community Benefit Award and being named a 2024 CNN Champion for Change. Her focus remains on creating sustainable and equitable healthcare models that can withstand the economic and logistical pressures unique to rural medicine.

The convening in Minneapolis concludes on November 11.