U.S. News’ annual list highlights hospitals that provide exceptional maternity care
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Five UNC Health hospitals across North Carolina have been recognized for providing top maternity care by U.S. News & World Report. The hospitals on U.S. News 2025 list of the nation’s “Best Hospitals for Maternity Care” include:
- UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill
- UNC Health Rex, Raleigh
- UNC Health Nash, Rocky Mount
- UNC Health Rockingham, Eden
- UNC Health Appalachian (Watauga Medical Center), Boone
U.S. News named the hospitals as “High Performing” for maternity care. That is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study.
In addition, UNC Health Nash and UNC Health Rockingham earned the “Maternity Care Access” designation from U.S. News. That distinction recognizes quality care provided to regions that, if not for the award-winning hospital, would be maternity deserts.
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. Best Hospitals for Maternity Care assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care team, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meets their family’s needs.
UNC Health’s hospitals earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as severe unexpected newborn complication rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.
“UNC Health is proud to help deliver thousands of babies across our state every year,” said Dr. Wesley Burks, CEO of UNC Health. “Our teammates and physicians are dedicated to offering the best care for Moms and their babies.”
For this year’s list, U.S. News evaluated 817 hospitals from across the United States. Only half of all hospitals evaluated for U.S. News’ 2025 ratings edition have been recognized as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.
“The hospitals recognized by U.S. News as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care showcase exceptional care for expectant parents,” said Jennifer Winston, Ph.D., health data scientist at U.S. News. “These hospitals demonstrate significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.”
The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as C-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 on U.S. News’ annual list, visit Best Hospitals for Maternity Care and use #BestMaternityHospitals on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
About UNC Health
UNC Health is a state entity and an affiliated enterprise of the University of North Carolina system, comprised of nearly 20 hospitals and more than 900 clinics along with the clinical patient care programs of the UNC School of Medicine (SOM). It exists to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others we serve and to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina SOM. UNC Health provided more than $800 million in Uncompensated Charity Care during the past five years. Our hospitals have received numerous awards and recognition for quality care, patient safety, and the overall patient experience.