Physician leaders at Sanford Health are joining fellow healthcare experts to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in delivering care to mothers in rural areas.
Organized by the American Hospital Association, Patient Safety Innovation Convening: Improving Rural Maternal Outcomes through Technology, Partnership & Practice goes through Nov. 11 in Minneapolis.
Johnna Nynas, M.D., OB/GYN, Sanford Bemidji, is one of the featured panelists in a session entitled: “Keeping Care Close to Home: Why Rural Maternal Safety Matters.” The panel will be moderated by Chris DeRienzo, SVP, chief physician executive, AHA. Dr. Nynas will be joined by Katy Kozhimannil, Ph.D., co-director, Rural Health Research Center, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, and Zander Abbott, CEO, Northfield Hospital and Clinic.
Healthy women, healthy pregnancies
“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 is a board-certified OB/GYN, Menopause Society certified practitioner, and physician leader dedicated to advancing maternal health equity, patient safety, and access to high-quality obstetric care in rural communities. As chair of women’s health at Sanford Health in Bemidji, Minnesota, she leads innovative efforts to strengthen rural maternity services through technology, clinical collaboration, and community partnerships.
Dr. Nynas is the lead architect and co-director of Families First: Rural Maternity Health Collaborative, a federally funded initiative focused on improving maternal and neonatal outcomes across northern Minnesota, with particular emphasis on reducing disparities affecting rural and Indigenous populations. Her work includes developing virtual obstetric consultation services for critical access hospitals, expanding culturally responsive prenatal care, and strengthening regional obstetric emergency readiness.
Recognized as a 2024 CNN Champion for Change and recipient of the 2026 Minnesota Hospital Association Community Benefit Award, Dr. Nynas is a passionate advocate for sustainable, equitable rural healthcare and ensuring that geography does not determine the quality or safety of maternity care.
Learn more
- Sanford OB/GYN shares equity efforts in maternal health
- Pregnant couples in northern MN benefit from telehealth
- State AG sees rural care in action at Sanford Bemidji
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Posted In Bemidji, Leadership in Healthcare, Pregnancy, Rural Health, Thought Leadership, Women's
