COVINGTON – St. Tammany Health System’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital has been named to U.S. News & World Report’s list of the nation’s Best Hospitals for Maternity Care for 2023-2024.
It is the only hospital in the region named to the list.
In developing its rankings, the publication evaluated the labor and delivery care units at 680 U.S. hospitals, with a specific focus on patients with uncomplicated pregnancies.
St. Tammany was deemed a high-performing hospital, with an “excellent” rate at minimizing avoidable C-sections and at avoiding earlier-than-recommended deliveries.
Other areas in which it was singled out for distinction included the availability of private rooms, an on-site Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, childbirth classes, breast-feeding support, and perinatal screening and services.
“There’s a reason St. Tammany Health System has been the premiere maternity hospital on the Northshore for the past 70 years, and it is not by accident,” STHS President and CEO Joan Coffman said. “The team in our New Family Center is among the best in the business in welcoming new babies into the world, and this latest U.S. News & World Report recognition is evidence of that.”
St. Tammany Health System opened its doors on Dec. 1, 1954, as St. Tammany Parish Hospital. It delivered its first baby the next day. Since then, some 60,000 children have been born at the Covington facility.
U.S. News evaluates how well hospitals perform in childbirth using C-section rates, newborn complication rates, breast milk feeding rates, early elective delivery rates, routine vaginal birth after cesarean delivery rates, episiotomy rates, whether a hospital meets new federal criteria for "birthing-friendly" practices, and whether a hospital tracked and reported their outcomes for patients of different races and ethnicities.
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About St. Tammany Health System
The heartbeat of its community, St. Tammany Health System cares for patients and families with excellence, compassion and teamwork. It is nationally recognized for quality, safety and service excellence by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report. The health system is home to 281-bed St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1, three diagnostic centers and 12 medical clinics throughout western St. Tammany Parish. Self-supporting, not-for-profit STHS is AA- rated by Fitch and receives no tax funding. More at StTammany.health.