The Templeton hospital is the only one in the county to be named on CHHS/CHC honor rolls

TEMPLETON — Twin Cities Community Hospital is the only hospital in San Luis Obispo County to have been named to the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) / Cal Hospital Compare Honor Roll for excellence in Maternity Care in 2022. Twin Cities was honored, in particular, for its low rates of Cesarean Section births (“C-Sections”).

Recognition by California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) for having met and maintained the Healthy People 2020 and Healthy People 2030 target rates for the NTSV (Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex) Cesarean Birth measure for three consecutive years (2019-2021) played a role in being named to the Honor Roll.

The 2022 Maternity Honor Roll recognizes 108 hospitals that met or surpassed the statewide target aimed at reducing births via C-Section in first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies. The award reflects 2021 data from the 211 California hospitals that offer maternity services and participate in the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative’s Maternal Data Center (CMQCC’s MDC).

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While people correctly and often think of hospitals as places for acute and emergency care, childbirth is actually the number one reason for hospitalizations in California and the United States. However, it is important for mothers to consider the benefits of hospitals that emphasize natural childbirth because overuse of Cesarean Sections can result in higher rates of complications like hemorrhages, transfusions, infection, and blood clots.

The Cesarean Sections surgery also can bring risks for babies, including higher rates of infection, respiratory complications, neonatal intensive care unit stays, and lower breastfeeding rates. Twin Cities’ rate for cesarean births in 2022 is at only 15.8 percent, well below the 24.7 percent Healthy People 2020 target. 

Twin Cities has already been designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care for its quality maternity programs and is one of only 12 of the 341 hospitals in California have been honored with the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Care Award. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally-designated health care facilities that show meet specific, rigorous standards and demonstrate quality, overall patient satisfaction and a low percentage of early elective deliveries. The IBCLC award is a global recognition of best practices for protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, it demonstrates that the hospitals are committed to ensuring staff have earned the prestigious International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification.

These best practices are major reason Twin Cities is an internationally recognized Baby-Friendly birth facility accredited by Baby Friendly USA. Twin Cities offers numerous classes for parents and prospective parents that can be found at tenethealthcentralcoast.com/events. 

For more information regarding maternity services at Tenet Health Central Coast, please visit tenethealthcentralcoast.com/services/obstetrics.