St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Recognized as ‘2025 Best Hospital for Maternity Care’ by U.S. News & World Report
December 10, 2024
For Immediate Release
Contact: Desiree Silva
Marketing and Communications Director
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Recognized as ‘2025 Best Hospital for Maternity Care’ by U.S. News & World Report
LEWISTON, Idaho (December 10, 2024) – U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has once again named St. Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) a “2025 Best Hospital for Maternity Care.” The hospital has now earned the accolade as a high performer for maternity care in each of the past three years, and last year was also named by U.S. News as and, one of only 73 hospitals nationwide to receive that designation.
To compile its Best Hospitals for Maternity Care list, U.S. News evaluated 817 hospitals providing labor and delivery services. Hospitals submitted detailed data, which were analyzed based on a variety of quality measures. These measures included C-section rates for lower-risk pregnancies, rates of severe unexpected newborn complications, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices, and the reporting of racial and ethnic disparities. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is one of only two hospitals in the state of Idaho to make the 2025 listing.
“Our ‘Family Beginnings’ program continues to provide exceptional maternity care to residents of the Lewis Clark Valley,” said Ed Freysinger, CEO of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. “This recognition by U.S. News & World Report is another validation of the high-quality work we do to make the wonder of childbirth an incredibly special experience for mom and family. We consistently earn this recognition because we consistently provide skilled, compassionate care in a setting that meshes the best practices of maternity care with comfort.”
The Family Beginnings program at St. Joseph Regional includes the only Level II Special Care Nursery between Boise and Spokane, boasts the lowest Cesarean Birth rate in the region, and features obstetrics and gynecology physicians, a Certified Nurse Midwife with hospital privileges, and an Anesthesiologist and CRNAs available at all times. The unit’s private rooms with double beds allow families to share the welcoming of their newest member. And an array of education offerings as well as a follow-up meeting with a Certified Lactation Consultant help families make a smooth transition home.
In today’s U.S. News listing, St. Joseph’s was deemed a high performer in several key maternity-specific measures.
- The hospital was rated as “excellent” at minimizing avoidable C-sections.
- Nearly 90% of its babies delivered were exclusively breastfed or fed breast milk during their hospital stay, compared to the national average is 49% (feeding breast milk boosts an infant's immune system and brain development and may protect against allergies, asthma, obesity, and other conditions).
- Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) support at the hospital is 20.5 percentage points higher than the state average.
- The hospital's episiotomy rate is less than 5%.
- Joseph Regional met the criteria as a “birthing-friendly” hospital.
More information about the Family Beginnings program at St. Joseph can be found at sjrmc.org/maternity. For more information about the U.S. News World Report maternity hospital ratings, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
About St. Joseph Regional Medical Center
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, part of ScionHealth, is the largest full-service regional medical center between Boise, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington that provides advanced-level specialty healthcare. Our commitment to providing safe, exceptional care for our community means having highly skilled and certified physicians on our healthcare team and a quality facility with the latest in medical technology. St. Joseph has more than 100 board-certified physicians and providers, active in both primary care and specialty practice. We seek to enhance the quality of life of the citizens we serve in our local communities through the promotion of health, by assuring compassion, sharing knowledge, providing technology, and communicating a love for what we do. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center makes our community healthier by Continuing the Healing Ministry of Jesus. For more information about St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, visit sjrmc.org. For more information about ScionHealth, visit ScionHealth.com.