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ST. JOSEPH — The Economic Alliance for Michigan has recognized Spectrum Health Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph and Spectrum Health Lakeland Hospital Niles as recipients of the Hospital Maternity Care Excellence Award. This is the third consecutive year Spectrum Health Lakeland Hospital Niles has received this designation. The awards are part of EAM’s Maternity Care Project. Created in 2018, the project goals are to decrease the state’s infant mortality rate, reduce the rate of unnecessary C-sections, and be an educational resource for new and expecting parents residing in Michigan.

“We are honored to earn this distinction, which highlights hospitals with high levels of quality maternity care and our dedication to delivering excellent, safe care for moms and babies in our communities,” said Benjamin Wood, DO, Medical Director, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Spectrum Health Lakeland. “At Spectrum Health Lakeland we continually strive to provide the most up-to-date and compassionate care to the women and families we serve. We are proud to have been awarded this honor, as it acknowledges the hard work put forth by our teams.”

Lakeland hospitals are among two of six Spectrum Health hospitals to earn the designation. Other Spectrum Health hospitals recognized include:

• Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial in Fremont
• Spectrum Health Pennock in Hastings
• Spectrum Health United Hospital in Greenville
• Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital in Zeeland

For the award, hospitals were evaluated in four areas: cesarean rates, episiotomy rates, elective early delivery rates, and maternity care processes. The data is from the 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Survey performed by The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C. based organization aiming to improve healthcare quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. To be awarded the Excellence Award, hospitals need to fully meet the standard in all four areas in the same calendar year.

The Maternity Care Project also provides details for birthing centers in Michigan, providing parents-to-be invaluable information in making a choice for hospital maternity care. To compare birthing centers and learn more about the project go to www.maternitycareproject.com.