Providence Saint Joseph Earns National Award for Quality Maternity Care

A mother and her newborn son became the very first patients at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center on opening day in 1944. In fact, the hospital opened a few hours ahead of schedule because the 6-pound, 15-ounce baby wasn’t going to wait.

For 80 years since that pre-dawn February morning, Providence Saint Joseph has delivered tens of thousands of babies – about 2,000 babies annually for the last several years – to families across the San Fernando Valley and beyond.

A long-standing tradition of exceptional and compassionate care earned the Burbank hospital recognition last week among Newsweek’s America’s Best Maternity Hospitals for 2024. Providence Saint Joseph was the only Valley hospital to make the grade.

Nurses, therapists and other caregivers continuously train to ensure the best experience for patients and their babies, said Melissa Wickersham, executive director of women’s and children’s services.

“We’re committed to partnering with our patients and respecting their choices, their culture and their preferences,” Wickersham said. “We’re also fortunate to be part of a large health system that shares best practices and the latest standards of care to provide the best care for these babies, our most vulnerable patients.”

Newsweek partnered with Statista to rank America’s Best Maternity Hospitals for 2024, and Providence Saint Joseph’s Maternity department was among the 384 U.S. hospitals to make the list.

Criteria for rating hospitals come from three sources:

• A nationwide online survey of health care professionals and hospital managers, neonatal and perinatal doctors, nurses and midwives who were asked to recommend leading maternity hospitals in the U.S.
• Results from patient experience surveys.
• Hospital quality metrics with a focus on indicators relevant to maternity care, data that must be reported to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to safety, quality care and an excellent patient experience.