AdventHealth Ottawa Family Birth Place reopened in September 2025.
OTTAWA, Kan. — Families in Franklin County and surrounding rural communities will soon have access to enhanced maternity care close to home as AdventHealth Ottawa adds new obstetrical equipment to its Family Birth Place.
Supported through a $200,000 grant from the Lewis H. Humphreys Charitable Trust and more than $60,000 raised during the AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation Clay Shoot Tournament in June 2026, the investment will fund a new ultrasound system and probe, baby warmers and a bilirubinometer.
Together, these tools will help clinical teams monitor mothers and newborns, identify potential concerns earlier and provide high-quality care throughout labor, delivery and the first hours of life.
"Every family deserves access to exceptional maternity care close to home," said Brendan Johnson, president and CEO of AdventHealth Ottawa. "These investments help ensure parents in Franklin County and neighboring rural communities have access to advanced technology that supports safe deliveries and healthy beginnings without traveling far from their support systems. Thank you to the AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation, the Lewis H. Humphreys Charitable Trust and to all donors for their support."
The new equipment will strengthen care in several important ways:
- A new ultrasound system and probe will help clinicians evaluate maternal and fetal health during labor, assess fetal position, monitor heart activity and identify potential complications.
- Baby warmers will provide a controlled environment to help newborns maintain a stable body temperature while clinical teams complete their initial assessments.
- A bilirubinometer will allow caregivers to quickly and noninvasively assess newborn bilirubin levels.
"We're grateful to the Lewis H. Humphreys Charitable Trust and to everyone in the community whose generosity made this possible," said Ryan Henningsen, chair of the AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation board. "Their support is an investment in local families and helps equip our care teams with the technology they need to provide exceptional care for mothers and babies."
The AdventHealth Ottawa Family Birth Place reopened in September 2025, restoring local labor and delivery services for families in Franklin County and surrounding communities.
Today, the unit provides prenatal, labor and delivery, postpartum and newborn care, allowing more families to welcome their babies close to home while remaining connected to the people and community that matter most.
For more information about the AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation, visit AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation.
AdventHealth Ottawa Family Birth Place Virtual Tour
About AdventHealth Ottawa
AdventHealth Ottawa is a 44‐bed acute care facility that delivers a wide range of inpatient, outpatient and surgical health care services across Franklin County and its surrounding areas. AdventHealth Ottawa provides whole-person care for every stage of life and health with a presence in the community lasting more than 80 years. In May 2019, Ransom Memorial Health became AdventHealth Ottawa, joining AdventHealth’s connected system of care comprised of nearly 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states. With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care with more than 80,000 skilled and compassionate caregivers in physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, wholistic care.
About AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation
The AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation has a longstanding tradition to inspire philanthropy in our community to support the healing mission of AdventHealth Ottawa. The foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, and 100% of all donations stay in the Franklin County community. The foundation directly supports programs and services at AdventHealth Ottawa through a multitude of gifts from local, passionate community members invested in creating a whole-person health care experience that includes healing the body, easing the mind, and lifting the spirit. Funds raised by the foundation assist in the purchase of new, updated equipment and facilities for AdventHealth Ottawa and support programs that will have a life-changing, positive impact on members of the community. To learn more about the AdventHealth Ottawa Foundation, visit AdventHealthOttawa.com/Foundation.