ChristianaCare Rated a Best Hospital for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report

ChristianaCare has earned the highest award for maternity care that a hospital can achieve from U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 ratings for Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.

Rated as a High Performing Hospital, ChristianaCare was the only health system in Delaware to earn this esteemed honor. Christiana Hospital at ChristianaCare’s Newark Campus is the only high-risk delivering hospital in the First State offering Level III neonatal intensive care. More than 6,100 babies are born at Christiana Hospital each year.

The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, early elective delivery rates and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rates, among other measures.

Expertise for safe deliveries and healthy babies

“When we announced plans seven years ago to build the ChristianaCare Center for Women’s & Children’s Health, we affirmed our commitment to provide superior-quality care for women and infants in our region,” said Matthew Hoffman, M.D., MPH, FACOG, Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at ChristianaCare.

“This prestigious recognition is an affirmation that patients who choose to give birth at ChristianaCare will have access to the very best services and expertise to ensure a safe delivery and a healthy baby.”

Just two years ago ChristianaCare opened the Center for Women’s & Children’s Health, an eight-story, approximately 400,000-square-foot tower at Christiana Hospital. The center uses 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. Christiana Hospital is 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.

This is based on a European model demonstrating that moms are more likely to breastfeed in this environment, which is particularly important in the early development of children.

“We best achieve optimal health and flourish when we are able to begin our lives as healthy newborns,” said David Paul, M.D., chair of ChristianaCare’s Department of Pediatrics.

“Building this transformative women’s and children’s hospital was a way to invest in the future of our community’s children.

“In addition to our outstanding caregivers and the care we provide within the walls of the hospital, this facility is a monumental step forward in enabling us to care for moms and babies, and we are delighted that U.S. News has recognized what a special place it is.”

For the future of our community’s children

Other innovative features at the center include:

• Expanded labor and delivery suites.
• Private rooms for mothers and families after delivery.
• A spacious, multi-level Ronald McDonald Family 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 spaces for health education and programs.

U.S. News’ annual evaluation is designed to assist expectant parents and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity care.

U.S. News evaluated nearly 650 hospitals that provide high-quality labor and delivery services for uncomplicated pregnancies for its 2022-2023 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. Fewer than half of all hospitals that offer maternity care and participated in the survey received a High Performing designation.

“When expectant parents are considering their options for welcoming a baby to the world, the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care are designed to help them identify hospitals that excel in delivering babies for uncomplicated pregnancies,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News & World Report.

“A hospital that has earned a High Performing designation may be a good option for parents, in consultation with their medical provider, to consider.”

Excellence in maternity care built on experience and research

ChristianaCare’s Center for Women’s & Children’s Health includes Delaware’s most experienced maternity team, and it is also a significant research institution.

Since opening, the Center for Women’s & Children’s Health participated in a significant study that found that treating mild chronic hypertension with medications is beneficial and safe for mother and baby.

Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the world’s foremost medical journal, the study has the potential to change the standard of care for some pregnant women, as it represented the first time that comprehensive, evidence-based data showed the benefits of treating mild forms of chronic hypertension during pregnancy.

“Our commitment to research is a path to better caring for our community,” said Hoffman, a co-author in the study.