BJC Health Hospitals Named to U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care

ST. LOUIS –U.S. News & World Report has named eight BJC Health hospitals as 2026 High Performing hospitals for Maternity Care—the highest award a hospital can earn as part of its Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Memorial Hospital, Alton Memorial Hospital, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Parkland Health Center, Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, Saint Luke’s East Hospital, and Saint Luke's North Hospital–Barry Road each earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, and birthing-friendly practices, among other measures.

“We are proud to be recognized as a national leader in maternity care by U.S. News & World Report. This honor reflects the commitment and dedication from our BJC Health team to deliver the safest, highest-quality care for mothers and newborns,” said Chris Miller, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at BJC Health. “With eight of our hospitals earning the ‘High Performing’ distinction, we remain committed to delivering exceptional maternity care across the region.”

Alton Memorial Hospital, Parkland Health Center, and Saint Luke's North Hospital–Barry Road were also named 2026 Maternity Care Access Hospitals—a designation recognizing essential hospitals serving communities that would be in danger of becoming maternity deserts if they were to stop providing crucial maternity care services.

U.S. News began evaluating maternity care hospitals in 2021, rating hospitals that provide labor and delivery services and submit detailed data to the publication for analysis. It evaluated approximately 900 hospitals nationwide for the 2026 ratings. Best Hospitals for Maternity Care are intended to assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care team, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meet their family’s needs.

“Hospitals designated as a U.S. News Best Hospital for Maternity Care are national leaders. This recognition means they are consistently hitting crucial patient safety benchmarks compared to other hospitals,” said Jennifer Winston, PhD, health data scientist at U.S. News. “It's a clear signal to expectant parents about where the highest standards of care are being practiced—when parents see this designation, they can be assured they are choosing a hospital dedicated to exceptional, evidence-based maternity care.”

The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as cesarean section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices, and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.

For more information, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.

About BJC Health
BJC Health is one of the largest integrated academic health care organizations in the United States and the largest private employer in the state of Missouri. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, BJC and its 48,000 employees operate in two regions as BJC HealthCare in the East and Saint Luke’s in the West. Its dedication to improving urban, suburban, and rural communities across Missouri, southern Illinois, and eastern Kansas is supported by more than $1.2 billion in annual community investment. BJC’s long-standing affiliation with the nationally renowned WashU Medicine in St. Louis powers its academic mission in the East, most notably at U.S. News & World Report ranked Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital; as well as at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the state of Missouri. In the West Region, Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City serves as a primary training site for UMKC School of Medicine. BJC is consistently recognized as a great place to work, from Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces to Forbes’ list of Best Large Employers.

More like this:

Lisa Schepers named permanent president of OSF Saint Anthony’s

May 29, 2026

OSF Saint Anthony’s Earns Fifth Consecutive “A” Hospital Safety Grade From The Leapfrog Group

May 6, 2026

Local Students Explore Health Care Careers At OSF Saint Anthony’s

Apr 27, 2026

OSF Wound Care Center Earns Recognition for Center of Distinction  

Apr 16, 2026

OSF HealthCare Welcomes New Gastroenterologist, Tarik Firozi, MD

Apr 6, 2026