Ankeny & North Des Moines Medical Supply Hub – I‑35 Corridor Surge Readiness
Ankeny, Iowa is one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing healthcare corridors, connecting MercyOne Des Moines, UnityPoint Health, Broadlawns, Polk County EMS, DMACC campuses, John Deere’s R&D hub, and the Iowa National Guard. Our LAC Health counter inside Walmart #892 at 1002 SE National Drive keeps hospital command centers, ambulatory surgery centers, fire departments, school clinics, and bioscience manufacturers stocked with compliant supplies minutes from I‑35 and I‑80.
Within ten miles sit MercyOne Ankeny, UnityPoint Ankeny Medical Park, Prairie Trail’s specialty clinics, the planned MercyOne Neuroscience Center, and data centers for Meta, AWS, and Microsoft. Ankeny also hosts the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) main campus, the new Des Moines International Airport terminal project, and the Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Division. Whether supporting snowstorm evacuations, RAGBRAI surge clinics, or hazardous-material responses on I‑35, this SE National Drive hub ensures “medical suppliers near me” is a reality for every mission.
Ankeny evolved from a coal and agriculture town into a national logistics hotspot with 75,000+ residents. The city’s mix of advanced manufacturing, aviation training, prairie recreation, and state government spillover demands agile medical logistics. LAC Health combines Des Moines metro expertise with local relationships so every tote arrives with the right paperwork, temperature logs, and chain-of-custody.
Location & Access Information
LAC Health Central Iowa Hub – Inside Walmart #892
1002 SE National Drive
Ankeny, Iowa 50021
ZIP Code 50021 (serves Ankeny, Des Moines north side, Altoona, Johnston, Bondurant, Polk City, and Ames/Story County border)
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Parking & Loading: Dedicated ambulance lane, semi-friendly loading dock, and secure cage for high-value pallets.
Highway Access: 0.5 miles to I‑35, 3 miles to I‑80/I‑235 stack, 15 minutes to downtown Des Moines, 25 minutes to Des Moines International Airport, adjacent to SE Oralabor Road/US‑69.
Nearby Facilities: MercyOne Ankeny (1.8 mi), UnityPoint Ankeny (2.0 mi), Polk County Emergency Operations Center (5.5 mi), DMACC Ankeny Campus (3.5 mi), John Deere Des Moines Works (6 mi).
Medical Supply Services Available
Wholesale & Rapid Response Support
- Hospital replenishment for MercyOne Des Moines, MercyOne Ankeny, UnityPoint Methodist, UnityPoint Ankeny, and Broadlawns.
- ASC/imaging turnover for Iowa Clinic, MD West One, Iowa Heart, and Prairie Trail specialty centers.
- EMS/fire caches for Ankeny Fire, Polk County EMS, Johnston-Grimes Fire, Bondurant FD, and Iowa National Guard medical units.
- Occupational health kits for John Deere, Casey’s HQ, Facebook/Meta Altoona data center, aerospace training shops, and DOT Motor Vehicle labs.
- University/DMACC clinical labs, athletic medicine kits, and nursing simulation supplies staged for class schedules and campus events.
- Mass event readiness for RAGBRAI, Iowa State Fair satellite events, Hy-Vee IndyCar Race, and Des Moines Marathon north-course support.
Reverse Logistics & Specialized Handling
- DEA Schedule II–V returns with Metro Narcotics Task Force coordination and secure cage storage.
- Cold-chain biologics, CAR-T, and fertility meds monitored with redundant data loggers tied into MercyOne/UnityPoint dashboards.
- Device recall handling for robotic surgery, EP lab, dialysis, and high-acuity ventilator fleets shared across the Des Moines metro.
- Telehealth/RPM refurbishment for MercyOne virtual nursing, VA telecardiology, and rural critical access partnerships.
- Hurricane/tornado cache rotation for Polk County EOC, Iowa Guard disaster missions, and American Red Cross shelter partners.
- High-security courier swaps for CDC wastewater surveillance, DSM bioscience startups, and USDA/APHIS research labs.
Meet the Ankeny Logistics Team
Our associates live in Polk and Story counties, hold FEMA ICS, hazmat, and DOT credentials, and understand Iowa’s health systems inside and out.
Rachel Sorenson
MercyOne & UnityPoint Liaison
Former MercyOne supply chain manager, Rachel now synchronizes implants, cath lab inventories, and infusion kits across the metro hospitals and Ankeny clinics.
Email: [email protected]
Captain Tyler Nguyen
EMS & Incident Response Coordinator
Tyler served as Ankeny Fire logistics captain and Polk County IMT member. He now oversees ALS cache auditing, tornado strike-team kits, and Guard mission support.
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Morgan Ellis
Community & Campus Health Lead
Dr. Ellis oversaw DMACC health sciences labs. She curates DMACC simulation kits, Polk County school clinic supplies, and bilingual chronic-disease bundles for outreach.
Email: [email protected]
How to Use This Counter
- Plan Around I‑35 & Oralabor Traffic
Open 6:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.; overnight access for winter storms or ICS activations via +1-703-810-3898.
- Bring Credentials
Hospital/EMS badge, DMACC ID, Guard mission letter, or grant code unlocks immediate staging.
- Confirm Chain-of-Custody
We scan totes, log temperatures, apply tamper seals, and send documentation to Epic, Cerner, ESO, or Smartsheet within 90 seconds.
- Track Deployments
SMS/email alerts include Iowa DOT plow status, I‑35 crash notifications, Polk County EOC bulletins, and estimated arrival times.
Regional Coverage
Supports MercyOne, UnityPoint, Broadlawns, VA Central Iowa, Polk & Story County EMS, Iowa National Guard medical detachments, DMACC campuses, John Deere Des Moines Works, and major employers across Ankeny, Altoona, Johnston, Bondurant, and Ames.
Ankeny’s Logistics Legacy
Ankeny was a WWII Army Air Corps depot and later home to corporate giants like John Deere and Tone’s Spices. Recent decades brought DMACC’s growth, 2018’s tornado outbreak, 2020 derecho recovery, and COVID-19 mega-vaccination clinics. LAC Health builds on that legacy with hardened shelving, generator tie-ins, and integration with Des Moines’ regional incident management plans.
Polk & Story County Demographics
Polk County population 500,000+; Ankeny alone tops 75,000 with a median age of 33. Racial mix: 78% White, 7% Black, 6% Hispanic/Latino, 5% Asian, 4% multiracial. Rapid growth brings rising NICU volumes, orthopedic demand, behavioral health needs, and chronic disease disparities in rural outskirts. Localized logistics reduce drive times during winter storms and construction detours.
Licensing & Compliance
Iowa Board of Pharmacy wholesale license, DEA Schedule II–V, FDA/IRB handling, Joint Commission/DNV, OSHA/NIOSH, FEMA ICS/NIMS credentialing, HIPAA/HITECH safeguards, and Polk County/State of Iowa vendor approvals.
What Central Iowa Providers Say
Average rating 4.95/5 from hospitals, EMS, campuses, and Guard units.
Two cath lab cases collided with a trauma. LAC Health had closure devices and stents staged at Walmart #892 before our courier could reach downtown.
✓ Verified
Winter pileups and hazmat calls drained our drug boxes. LAC Health rotated ALS caches, documented every swap, and delivered rehab supplies in under an hour.
✓ Verified
Our nursing simulation labs rely on precise kits. LAC Health labels everything by cohort and semester so faculty spend zero time repacking.
✓ Verified
Our hurricane task force needed kit rebuilds before deploying south. LAC Health sealed everything with DoD paperwork and got us on the road within hours.
✓ Verified
Construction surges mean hundreds of contractors. LAC Health delivers OSHA kits, eyewash supplies, and bilingual instructions the same day.
✓ Verified
Our overnight stop hosts thousands of cyclists. LAC Health pre-builds hydration, orthopedic, and AED stations labeled by campsite so volunteers stay organized.
✓ Verified
