Ella and Austin Altstadt Welcome Daughter Vila Faye in Perham

Vila Faye Altstadt arrived at Perham Health on March 24 at 7:29 p.m., welcomed by parents Ella and Austin Altstadt of Perham. She weighed 8 pounds and measured 20.5 inches, with Dr. Kailey Witt serving as the delivering physician.

The name Vila already carried family history before this little girl drew her first breath. Great-grandmother Vila Von Ruden shares the name, a multi-generational connection that ties this late-March birth to an earlier chapter of the same family story. Two other great-grandparents, Rosie Altstadt and Marky Van de Streek, are listed alongside her in the family announcement, with grandparents Sue and John Von Ruden and Jackie and Kenny Altstadt completing the extended circle.

Vila's birth took place four days after the first day of spring at Perham Health, located at 1000 Coney Street West, which serves as Otter Tail County's certified birthing hospital and the regional anchor for families across the surrounding rural area. The facility follows baby-friendly practices, including immediate skin-to-skin contact following delivery, and offers water birth as an option. For cases requiring specialized neonatal care, families are typically referred to larger regional systems, making Perham Health's continued local maternity capacity a meaningful asset for a county where the next major hospital can be an hour's drive away.

New parents in Otter Tail County can connect with the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) through Otter Tail County Public Health, which staffs WIC services at four county locations: Fergus Falls, New York Mills, Parker's Prairie and Pelican Rapids. The program covers nutrition education, supplemental food benefits, breastfeeding support and community referrals for families with infants and children under age 5. Otter Tail County Public Health can be reached at 218-998-8320.