December 10, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Kretzer
External Communications Specialist
Phone: 850-832-0406
Email: Heather.Kretzer@ascension.org
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast recognized as a Maternal Levels of Care Verified Hospital and named to U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care
MIRAMAR BEACH, FLA. –Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has been recognized as a Maternal Levels of Care verified hospital by The Joint Commission through its collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and support from the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative. U.S. News & World Report has also named Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast as a 2025 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care. This prestigious designation is the highest recognition a hospital can earn in the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual ratings.
Additionally, U.S. News recognized Sacred Heart Emerald Coast as a Maternity Care Access Hospital, for its essential role in serving underserved communities at risk of becoming maternity care deserts. Only 118 hospitals – representing just 14% of all evaluated hospitals – earned this distinction for their critical contributions to maternity care access.
“The health of moms and babies in our community is a top priority,” said Trey Abshier, President and CEO of Sacred Heart Emerald Coast. “To achieve this verification and earn this award are evidence of the dedication our Family Birth Place care team has to the families we serve.”
To achieve the Maternal Levels of Care verification, Sacred Heart Emerald Coast voluntarily went through a rigorous independent review to verify that it has the right staff, equipment, resources, and processes in place to provide risk-appropriate maternal care. The verification process also includes a comprehensive on-site assessment, evaluation of maternal care capabilities, and a policy compliance review. Sacred Heart Emerald Coast is designated as a Level II facility, which means the hospital has demonstrated it can care for healthy pregnant women and pregnant women with many complications by meeting national guidelines.
The Maternal Levels of Care Verification program was developed using guidelines based on the Obstetric Care Consensus jointly established by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. This clinical guidance includes comprehensive uniform definitions, a standardized description of maternity facility capabilities and personnel, and a framework for integrated systems that address maternal health needs. To learn more, visit the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative website.
To earn the U.S. New & World Report High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care, Sacred Heart Emerald Coast was measured by factors such as severe unexpected newborn complication rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures. 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.
Earlier this year the hospital joined in the state’s first postpartum wristband initiative. The new program involves giving a silver rubber wristband to mothers to voluntarily wear for up to a year postpartum. This prioritizes them as patients and spotlight their medical history in case they seek care through EMS, ERs or other medical sites.
Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Family Birth Place was also recognized in Newsweek’s 2024 list of America’s Best Maternity Care Hospitals at the highest five ribbon level. The hospital provides the only NICU serving families close to home in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. The Level II NICU cares for babies born at 30 weeks and up or weighing just under 3 pounds. Moms at high risk can be referred to Ascension Sacred Heart Regional Perinatal Center with offices in Miramar Beach, Fort Walton Beach, and Crestview.
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About Ascension Sacred Heart
Ascension Sacred Heart, based in Pensacola, Florida, operates five hospitals and more than 100 other sites of care and employs more than 6,440 associates. In fiscal year 2024, Ascension Sacred Heart provided more than $193 million in community benefit and other care for vulnerable persons. Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable.
