University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton has been recognized as High Performing in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report. This is the first time U.S. News has published a list of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
From left, Angie Wicks, Nurse Manager, UM Shore Regional Health’s Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, stands with Ken Kozel, President and CEO, UM Shore Regional Health, and Javier Cajina, MD, Director, UM SRH’s Birthing Center.
“There are so many team members who deserve credit for this excellent recognition — our physicians and advanced practice providers, our nursing team and techs, our educators and all those team members that support our new babies and their moms and dads at UM Shore Regional Health Birthing Center at Easton,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health. “On behalf of the Board of UM Shore Regional Health and our senior leadership, I’m very pleased to express our appreciation for the outstanding teamwork that is helping us achieve our vision, to be the region’s leader in patient-centered health care.”
Jenny Bowie, Vice President, Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer.
To be recognized among the Best Hospitals for Maternity, hospitals had to excel on multiple quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including complication rates, C-sections, whether births were scheduled too early in pregnancy and how successfully each hospital supported breastfeeding. Only one-third of the hospitals evaluated by U.S. News for maternity care earned a ‘High Performing’ rating.
“Even with all of the challenges facing our staff over the past few years, including a global pandemic, I am proud that our staff at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Birthing Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton has maintained such a high standard for maternal care,” said Javier Cajina, MD, Director, Birthing Center, UM Shore Regional Health.“This is a testament to the continued dedication to excellence in health care by our administrators, as well as the commitment and selflessness of all team members.”
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.
“I am incredibly proud of our nurses in the Birthing Center,” said Jenny Bowie, Vice President, Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer. “They love caring for the families in our community and value every life that they touch. It is an incredible moment to welcome a new little one into the world and our team makes every delivery special.”
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 2021, which reflects data from 2019. Participation was voluntary.
“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.”
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.
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