Fall River, New Bedford hospitals recognized for Maternity Care access by U.S. News & World Report

FALL RIVER and NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – U.S. News & World Report has named Southcoast Hospitals Group, including Charlton Memorial and St. Luke’s hospitals, as a 2024 Maternity Care Access Hospital, an inaugural designation.

“We are honored to earn this recognition for the excellent maternity care and service we provide our patients across the South Coast region,” said Kim Pina, MSN, RN, Executive Director of the Family Centered Unit/Level II Nursery at Southcoast Health. “I am honored to work with our incredible staff in Fall River and New Bedford who continually go above and beyond for every patient and their family members who are cared for in our hospitals.”

This year, the U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care evaluation recognizes 73 “Maternity Care Access Hospitals” across the nation. These essential hospitals provide quality care to expectant parents who would not otherwise have access to maternity care and serve communities that would otherwise be maternity care deserts. Southcoast Health is the only system in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to earn this recognition.

“Being named a Maternity Care Access Hospital is special recognition of hospitals across the U.S. which serve communities that depend on them for access to vital maternity care services,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News. “While an increasing number of maternity care deserts in parts of the country have left millions of people without local access to maternity care, these hospitals persist in providing this vital service to under-resourced communities.”

The U.S. News Maternity Care Access Hospitals designation is based on a number of measures including geographic isolation, number of obstetric providers per 10,000 births and hospital quality. Quality measures are outlined in the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology.

“Earning this national recognition demonstrates the ongoing commitment and dedication of our providers, nurses, and staff to continue bringing the highest quality care to our community,” said Christian Pope, DO, FACOG, Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology for Southcoast Health. “We are proud to provide our community exceptional, essential maternity care close to home and will continue to make this a top priority here at Southcoast Health.”

In addition to this recognition, in November Southcoast Health celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the first Southcoast Health Obstetrics and Gynecology office opening in New Bedford, MA. Today, the experienced team of over 19 OB/GYN providers work with women of all ages.