St. Joseph’s Health Receives 2017 Women’s Choice Award® as One of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics

Syracuse, NY, January 10, 2017 – St. Joseph’s Health has been named as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics by the Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare. The award signifies that St. Joseph’s Health is in the top 17% of 2,815 U.S. hospitals offering obstetrics. St. Joseph’s Health is the only hospital in Syracuse to receive this award.

The methodology for America’s Best Hospital for Obstetrics Award is unique in that it combines national accreditations, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results and hospital outcome scores with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. It is the only award recognizing excellence in obstetric services based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.

The America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics distinction is based on the following specific criteria:

• The percentage of patients reporting through the HCAHPS survey that they would definitely recommend the hospital
• Patient safety ranking based on 11 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ measures of infection and complication rates
• Presence of a level III or level IV neonatal intensive care unit onsite (NICU)
• Low rates of early elective deliveries (between 0-1%)
• Baby-Friendly USA designation, a World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) initiative to support best practices for breast feeding education and counseling

“Pregnancy is one of the most special times in a woman’s life,” said Delia Passi founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award. “Our award gives a woman the confidence that her choice of a hospital for her delivery will be the best in terms of quality care and patient safety for her and her baby. As the trend of women waiting longer to start their families continues, having the Women’s Choice Award seal is especially important for older moms who face increased risk and need a top hospital to provide her care.”

St. Joseph’s Health is one of 484 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for obstetrics across the U.S.

“In our family-centered maternity services at The Birth Place, we focus on the physical, social and emotional well-being of mothers, infants and their families in balance with the technology and services required as a Level III Perinatal Service,” said Kathryn Ruscitto, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health. “This Women’s Choice award speaks highly to our commitment to deliver a higher quality of care, and the positive experiences that our patients are having at St. Joseph’s Hospital.”

For more information on the America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics visit www.womenschoiceaward.com/awarded/healthcare.

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ABOUT ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTH

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a part of Trinity Health.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S CHOICE AWARD®

The Women’s Choice Award® is a trusted referral source, empowering women to make smart healthcare choices by identifying the country’s best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction and clinical excellence. The Women’s Choice Award was recently honored by the INC 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies in 2016 for a second consecutive year. Visit http://www.womenschoiceaward.com/ to learn more. The information contained in this release is not permitted to be used in a non-press related context without the express prior written consent of the Women’s Choice Award.