ChristianaCare ranked as one of the nation’s Best Maternity Hospitals

ChristianaCare was ranked one of the nation’s Best Maternity Hospitals by Newsweek and Leapfrog, a national nonprofit organization that reports on the safety and quality performance of U.S. health care facilities.

With the highest grade of “A,” ChristianaCare was the only Delaware hospital selected and one of the few in the Delaware Valley. In announcing the rankings, Newsweek noted that ChristianaCare is part of an “elite group demonstrating excellence in maternal care” and that choosing the right maternity hospital is “key to achieving that all-important outcome” of protecting the health of the mother and baby.

“At ChristianaCare, we are guided by our values, love and excellence, and we have filled the new Center for Women’s & Children’s Health with both,” said President and CEO Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH. “This recognition by Newsweek is a testament to the expert care that our caregivers provide to more than 6,000 babies and their families each year. We’ve continued to deliver that great care—even during the COVID-19 pandemic, as we opened one of the most advanced facilities in the country for women and children. We are transforming care in the communities we serve.”

A panel of medical and nursing experts identified hospitals with low rates of C-section, episiotomy and early elective deliveries, and that follow crucial protocols to protect mothers and babies. Of the 231 hospitals selected for the honor, ChristianaCare is among the top five delivering hospitals by volume, delivering more than 6,000 babies annually.

ChristianaCare recently opened the Center for Women’s & Children’s Health, an eight-story, approximately 400,000 square foot tower at Christiana Hospital, at ChristianaCare’s Newark campus.

The center is designed to support and enhance the most up-to-date, evidence-based models of care, with improved integration of services and the space to offer innovative patient-centered care for mothers, babies and families.

One of the most significant features of the new center is a state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), featuring private rooms with sleep-in space for families. It’s one of the only hospitals in the United States to provide “couplet care” in the NICU, keeping the mother and baby together even if they both require medical care.

Other innovative features at the Center for Women’s & Children’s Health include:

• New and expanded labor and delivery suites.
• Private rooms for mothers and families after delivery.
• A spacious, multi-level Ronald McDonald Room to support families with infants who are in intensive care.
• Expanded OB/GYN emergency services area and new labor lounge.
• Separate admitting and discharge areas for the convenience of our patients.
• A tranquil family rooftop garden that provides spaces for play and relaxation.
• Vibrant sibling play spaces with interactive displays and artwork, and open community

“At ChristianaCare, we guide women and their families through the most important moments of their lives,” said David Paul, M.D., chair, Department of Pediatrics. “As Newsweek and Leapfrog noted, selecting the right maternity hospital can ensure that mothers and babies have safe and healthy outcomes. We want to keep moms, babies and our community healthy, and the commitment and expertise of our caregivers, along with our new facility, enable us to do that better than ever.”

The center is also designed to support ChristianaCare’s focus on wellness and on reducing the serious and complex problems of infant mortality, neonatal abstinence syndrome, maternal mortality and post-partum depression.

The design of the facility itself, as well as the design of the care that ChristianaCare provides inside and outside its walls, is addressing these challenging issues head-on.

“We are especially attuned to the changing needs of women across generations and how to engage women before, during and after they walk through our doors,” said Matthew Hoffman, M.D., MPH, FACOG, Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “This recognition by Newsweek and Leapfrog is a reflection of our commitment to leading the way in women’s and children’s health.”

To learn more about how to have a healthy pregnancy during COVID-19, click on this video that features Dr. Hoffman. To learn more about how to care for a newborn during the COVID-19 pandemic, click on this video that features Dr. Paul.