St. Bernardine Medical Center Makes Statewide Honor Roll for Reducing C-Sections

For two years in a row, Dignity Health - St. Bernardine Medical Center (SBMC) met a federal target aimed at reducing Cesarean births (C-sections) for first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies, according to the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS).

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“This statewide recognition is a testament to the teamwork and commitment of our staff to provide high-quality health care to community members,” states SBMC Hospital President, Douglas Kleam. “I am proud of their hard work in making significant progress to reduce the number of low-risk, first birth C-section deliveries. As a result of the reduction, there are healthier babies and mothers.”

CHHS announced the achievement awards on behalf of Smart Care California, a coalition of public and private health care purchasers that collectively purchase or manage care for more than 16 million people statewide – or 40 percent of all Californians. SBMC is only one of 111 hospitals to receive this honor.

While life-saving in some circumstances, unnecessary C-sections can pose serious risks to mothers—higher rates of hemorrhage, transfusions, infection, and blood clots—and babies—higher rates of infection, respiratory complications, and neonatal intensive care unit stays.

About Dignity Health – St. Bernardine Medical Center

Founded as a faith-based hospital in 1931 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Dignity Health – St. Bernardine Medical Center is a 342-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in San Bernardino, California. The hospital offers a full complement of services, including the Inland Empire Heart and Vascular Institute, an award-winning orthopedics program, surgical weight loss, and is an official Neurovascular Stroke Center. The hospital shares a legacy of humankindness with Dignity Health, one of the nation’s five largest health care systems. Visit dignityhealth.org/stbernardinemedical for more information.