Award-Winning Care

Pictured above is Julian, who was born at Dominican Hospital's Birth Center. "The birth experience here was so nurturing and caring!" says Julian's Mother.

Dominican Hospital was recently designated as one of Newsweek’s Best Maternity Care Hospitals of 2020, one of just 231 medical facilities nationwide to be recognized in this way.

Dominican was honored due to its low rates of C-Sections, episiotomies, early elective deliveries, and for following crucial protocols to protect our mothers and babies. These standards are aligned with evidence-based medical research and best practices, but not all hospitals achieve them.

“At Dominican, we strive to provide a birthing experience that is truly unique—all the advanced care of leading medical facility within a welcoming and comfortable community hospital setting,” says Nanette Mickiewicz, MD, Dominican Hospital President/CEO.

Through our partnership with Stanford Children’s Health – Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Dominican provides a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staffed by Stanford Neonatologists and NICU-certified nurses. Families can rest assured that if their newborn needs extra attention, Dominican offers the highest level of care available in the region.

Dominican is also a designated Baby-Friendly® hospital. We honor the “Golden Hour” with our newborns and parents, in which the baby is placed skin to skin on their mothers after birth to bond and make their first feeding attempts. Newborns stay in the same room with their parents throughout their time in the hospital. Postpartum breastfeeding support is delivered by one of our International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, who are also on site daily to provide inpatient lactation consults.

Additionally, we offer childbirth education and breastfeeding support for expectant/new parents (Learn more on page 53-55). Dignity Health Pediatrics provides scheduled outpatient lactation consultations conveniently located at their baby’s Pediatrician’s office.

This recognition is the latest of several for Dominican Hospital. In June, Dominican was awarded a second consecutive ‘A’ grade for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group. The hospital was also identified by Healthgrades as among the top percent in the nation for cardiac care.