DOWNEY – U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named Downey Medical Center along with 12 other Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals as a 2025 High Performing medical center for Maternity Care.

This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study.

Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Panorama City, Baldwin Park, South Bay, Fontana, Ontario, Riverside, Anaheim, Irvine, San Diego and Zion medical centers also earned a “High Performing” designation in recognition of maternity care as measured by several factors. They included severe unexpected newborn complication rates, birthing-friendly practices and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.

U.S. News began evaluating maternity care hospitals in 2021, rating hospitals that provide labor and delivery services and submit detailed data to the publication for analysis. Best Hospitals for Maternity Care assist expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care team, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity services that best meets their family’s needs.

“The hospitals recognized by U.S. News as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care showcase exceptional care for expectant parents,” said Jennifer Winston, a health data scientist at U.S. News. “These hospitals demonstrate significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.”

U.S. News evaluated 817 hospitals from across the United States. Only half of all hospitals evaluated for U.S. News’ 2025 ratings edition were recognized as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.

“This recognition showcases our care team's dedication to maintaining the highest levels of safety and quality for our patients,” said Mitch Winnik, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center. “We remain committed to achieving excellence in all facets of our maternity services, ensuring a nurturing and supportive atmosphere for families during this important time in their lives.”

Dr. JT Lee, area medical director, Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, added his gratitude for hospital physicians’ leadership in medical excellence.

“Our doctors are committed to developing care plans based on clinical knowledge and evidence-based practices,” said Dr. Lee. “Their leadership in executing these plans consistently results in positive outcomes for both newborns and their families. We’re proud to be acknowledged once more as one of the top hospitals for maternity care and are eager to continue delivering the high standards our community expects from us.”

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.