UNC Health Southeastern Named Among U.S. News & World Report’s Fifth Annual 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care
U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named UNC Health Southeastern as a 2026 High Performing 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.
In addition, UNC Health Southeastern 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. For the 2026 edition, approximately 900 hospitals nationwide submitted maternity data for evaluation. 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.
UNC Health Southeastern earned a High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by factors such as reduced C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, less severe unexpected newborn complication rates compared to peers, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, and birthing-friendly practices, among other measures.
“We are honored to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a high-performing hospital for maternity care,” said UNC Health Southeastern President and CEO Chris Ellington. “This achievement reflects the skill, compassion, and unwavering commitment of our physicians, nurses, and support teams who care for mothers and babies every day. We’re incredibly proud of our team and grateful to the families in our community who continue to trust us with life’s most meaningful moments.”
“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.
About UNC Health Southeastern
In addition to offering services you’d expect from a community healthcare system, UNC Health Southeastern provides a number of specialized services that are unique to our system and not available anywhere else in the region. The nonprofit system, which is part of UNC Health, offers a combination of acute care, intensive care and psychiatric services to more than 13,000 inpatients and 50,000 emergency patients annually. It is our mission to provide exceptional care for our diverse region; offer the highest quality standards in a safe environment; and provide compassionate care provided by a committed team. At UNC Health Southeastern, together, we will improve the health and well-being of the region we serve. We are Here for you. Here for good. To learn more, visit UNCHealthSE.org.
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.
