The Malden Lions Club hosted Jason Schrumpf, FACHE, MBA, PT, Chief Executive Officer of Missouri Delta Medical Center (MDMC), at its Tuesday, October 21 luncheon meeting. Schrumpf outlined the hospital’s mission and a major community health challenge now confronting families across the Bootheel.

Located in Sikeston, MDMC is a 125-bed not-for-profit medical center that employs more than 850 people and operates 30 clinics in six counties. Each year, the hospital provides over $4 million in care to uninsured and underinsured patients while also training the region’s next generation of caregivers through scholarships, clinical programs, and tuition assistance.

Schrumpf’s presentation focused on a Maternal Fetal Medicine Ultrasound Project that seeks to address alarming maternal and infant mortality rates in Southeast Missouri—areas designated as “maternity care deserts.” Rural Missouri records 38 maternal deaths per 100,000 births, nearly twice the national average, and African American women face even higher risks.

Missouri Delta’s Women’s Care Center delivered 495 babies in 2024, serving families who often travel 30 to 60 miles for prenatal and postpartum care. To expand diagnostic capabilities and finalize a tele-health partnership with SSM Health St. Louis, MDMC is raising funds for a GE Voluson Expert 20 ultrasound machine. This $147,900 investment will dramatically improve early detection and monitoring for high-risk pregnancies.

The Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has received MDMC’s grant application for a $73,950 matching challenge, with Lions Clubs, the Missouri Delta Foundation, and local donors joining forces to meet the balance.

At the meeting, the Malden Lions Club donated $800 to Lions Clubs International Foundation and another $800 to Missouri Delta Medical Center, demonstrating its continuing commitment to community health and humanitarian service.

“Together, these efforts can save lives of mothers and babies across our region,” Schrumpf said.