Buena Vista Regional Medical Center: labor and delivery in Storm Lake, IA
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Storm Lake, Buena Vista County, Iowa that delivers babies. It handled 305 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 14% delivered by C-section (80 such births). That is below the Iowa rate of 24% and below the U.S. median of 26%.
- 14%First-birth C-section rate
- 305Deliveries in 2025
- 488Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 4 of 5Patient survey stars
- 2 of 5Overall hospital stars
Birth services at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
- Lactation consultants
- Skin-to-skin time after birth
- Childbirth and parenting classes
- Birth center tours
Tour, class and care-team details are on the hospital's maternity page.
Address and phone
1525 West 5th Street
Storm Lake, IA 50588
Buena Vista County
Call (712) 732-4030 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Critical Access hospital
- Ownership: Government, Local
How Buena Vista Regional Medical Center compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 14% | 24% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 488 | 204 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 70 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Bottom 25% (most complications). Not counting transfusion-only cases: Middle 50%.
In Iowa, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center has the 5th-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 43 hospitals that report one.
The first-birth C-section rate counts first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby. Complication rates are adjusted for patient risk. Our data explains each number.
What patients say
- Patient survey summary: 4 of 5 stars
- 85% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 86% of patients rated this hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
Survey results cover all patients at the hospital, not only maternity patients.
Other hospitals that deliver babies near Storm Lake
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Regional Medical Center | Cherokee | 21 | – | 81 | Yes |
| Stewart Memorial Community Hospital | Lake City | 34 | 31% | 80 | Yes |
| Spencer Municipal Hospital | Spencer | 34 | 19% | 199 | Yes |
| Palo Alto County Hospital | Emmetsburg | 40 | – | 62 | – |
| St Anthony Regional Hospital & Nursing Home | Carroll | 44 | 13% | 400 | Yes |
| Trinity Regional Medical Center | Fort Dodge | 51 | 24% | 477 | Yes |
All hospitals in Storm Lake · Buena Vista County · All Iowa hospitals