U.S. News & World Report has named Mercy Hospital Ardmore to its 2024 Maternity Care Access Hospital list. This is the first year for the maternity access award that recognizes hospitals for providing high quality care in rural communities that would not otherwise have access to labor and delivery services.
A total of 73 hospitals across the country were given the Maternity Care Access designation, with Mercy Hospital Ardmore the only hospital in Oklahoma to be recognized.
“There are challenges in rural health care, but we are so fortunate to have a team of physicians that feel called to serve the community where they live,” said Daryle Voss, president of Mercy Hospital Ardmore. “The entire team of nurses, techs and many health care professionals who serve families in our Mercy Birthplace are second to none and provide compassionate, quality care for parents and infants during a special time in their lives.”
At a time when rural health services are dwindling, Mercy continues to invest in the communities it serves. In August, OB/GYN Dr. Kelsey LeMay joined the team of physicians providing maternity care in Ardmore, including Dr. Paul Plowman, Dr. Mark Melton, Dr. Summer Kirby and a team a midlevel providers.
“Being named a Maternity Care Access Hospital is special recognition of hospitals across the U.S. which serve communities that depend on them for access to vital maternity care services,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News. “While an increasing number of maternity care deserts in parts of the country have left millions of people without local access to maternity care, these hospitals persist in providing this vital service to under-resourced communities.”
The U.S. News Maternity Care Access Hospitals designation is based on a number of measures, including geographic isolation, number of obstetric providers per 10,000 births and hospital quality. Quality measures are outlined in the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology.
