UKIAH, Calif. – Where you give birth is important for the health of the mother and the newborn child.

Ukiah Valley Medical Center (UVMC) was ranked as one of the 33 high-performing hospitals in California for its quality of maternity care services, according to a report released by the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART).

The taskforce analyzed data from 262 hospitals and found wide variation in performance in terms of four common procedures related to delivery and newborn care: c-section, episiotomy, breastfeeding and vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC).

Among other things, the data showed that women are more likely to have a cesarean section and are less likely to exclusively breast feed at low-performing hospitals than at high-performing hospitals.

The taskforce also found that an expectant mom is also less likely to have an episiotomy if she gives birth at a high-performing hospital.

“This is a great testament to the quality of care we provide at the Family Birth Center. Our priority has always been patient safety and providing the best possible care to our moms and this just goes to show that expectant mothers do not have to go out of the area to get excellent maternity care,” said Casey Ford, RN, director of the Family Birth Center at UVMC.

The Family Birth Center offers large private birthing suites for labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum care, and is staffed by an excellent team of experienced nurses who provide personalized care for each patient.

Childbirth classes and tours are available for expectant moms and support persons.

For more information about the Family Birth Center please call 707-463-7550 or visit www.uvmc.org/birthcenter .

The California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART) was established in 2004 to develop a statewide hospital performance reporting system using a multi-stakeholder collaborative process.

The CHART public report card is available at www.CalHospitalCompare.org , a hospital public reporting Web site maintained by the California HealthCare Foundation.