Southcoast Health Hospitals earn high performing rating in maternity care by U.S. News and World Report

NEW BEDFORD and FALL RIVER, Mass. –Southcoast Health’s St. Luke’s and Charlton Memorial Hospitals have been recognized as High Performing in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report.

Southcoast Health was among the one-third of hospitals evaluated by U.S. News for maternity care to be designated as ‘High Performing,’ which is the highest rating U.S. News awards for maternity care. To earn this designation, Southcoast Health’s maternity services demonstrated excellence in important quality metrics, including complication rates, C-sections, whether births were scheduled too early in pregnancy, and how successfully the system supported breastfeeding.

“Southcoast Health is proud to be recognized as a premier destination for maternity services,” says Kim M. Pina, Nurse Manager of the Family Centered Unit and Pediatrics at St. Luke’s Hospital. “The Family Centered and Pediatrics Units here provide high quality state of the art care to the patients in our community, and I am honored to work with our incredible staff who continually goes above and beyond for every patient to assure they have the best possible experience.”

Jennifer Bloom MEd, BSN, Nurse Manager at Charlton Memorial Hospital agreed. “This recognition from the U.S. News and World Report demonstrates the exceptional care provided to all moms, babies and families in the Southcoast Health Family Centered Units, including the more than 3,000 babies delivered in our system’s hospitals last year. I am proud to work on an amazing team where all staff take pride in their work on the unit and provide compassionate care under all circumstances.”

“All families deserve to be informed on how hospitals perform on key indicators of quality, which is why U.S. News has compiled and published a trove of maternal health data from hospitals across the country,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News & World Report. “The hospitals we’ve recognized as High Performing meet a high standard in caring for patients with uncomplicated pregnancies.”

Unique to the U.S. News site, participating hospital profiles are a one-stop shop and include a variety of relevant offerings for parents-to-be, including key measures of safety, alongside services and amenities, like private rooms, valet parking and availability of child birthing classes.

The evaluation looks at hospital data relating to only uncomplicated pregnancies, not high-risk pregnancies. Participating hospitals responded to a survey from the U.S. News health analysis team in spring of 2021, which reflects data from 2019. Participation was voluntary.