LEWISTON, Idaho (December 9, 2025) – U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named St. Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) a “2026 Best Hospital for Maternity Care.” This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study, now in its fifth edition. The hospital has earned the accolade as a high performer for maternity care in each of the past four years, and for the third consecutive year, has also been named by U.S. News as a Maternity Care Access Hospital.

The Maternity Care Access Hospital designation, awarded to 147 hospitals for the 2026 ratings, recognizes essential hospitals that serve communities that would be in danger of becoming maternity care 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. For the 2026 edition, 496 hospitals nationwide were recognized as “High Performing.” Best Hospitals for Maternity Care ratings are intended to assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care providers, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meet their family’s needs.

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as minimizing avoidable C-sections, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, and birthing-friendly practices, among other metrics. St. Joseph is one of only two hospitals in the state of Idaho to make the 2026 listing.

“We are thrilled to again be recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the truly elite maternity care we provide to residents in and around the Lewis Clark Valley,” said Ed Freysinger, CEO of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. “Our ‘Family Beginnings’ program is a model for compassionate, high-quality care that rises to the momentous occasion of bringing a new child into the world. The annual honors from U.S. News are a testament to our program and the outstanding staff who make it exceptional.”

The Family Beginnings program at St. Joseph Regional includes the only Level II Special Care Nursery between Boise and Spokane, boasts the lowest Cesarean Birth rate in the region, and features obstetrics and gynecology physicians, a Certified Nurse Midwife with hospital privileges, and an Anesthesiologist and CRNAs available at all times. The unit’s private rooms with double beds allow families to share the welcoming of their newest member. And an array of education offerings as well as a follow-up meeting with a Certified Lactation Consultant help families make a smooth transition home.

“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, Ph.D., 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.”

For more information, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care and use #BestMaternityHospitals on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X.

More information about the Family Beginnings program at St. Joseph can be found at sjrmc.org/maternity.

About St. Joseph Regional Medical Center

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, part of ScionHealth, is the largest full-service regional medical center between Boise, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington that provides advanced-level specialty healthcare. Our commitment to providing safe, exceptional care for our community means having highly skilled and certified physicians on our healthcare team and a quality facility with the latest in medical technology. St. Joseph has more than 100 board-certified physicians and providers, active in both primary care and specialty practice. We seek to enhance the quality of life of the citizens we serve in our local communities through the promotion of health, by assuring compassion, sharing knowledge, providing technology, and communicating a love for what we do. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center makes our community healthier by Continuing the Healing Ministry of Jesus. For more information about St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, visit sjrmc.org. For more information about ScionHealth, visit ScionHealth.com.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.