South Jersey Health System Welcomed 9,000-Plus New Babies in 2021

Newsweek and data firm Statista have named Virtua Voorhees Hospital as one of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals. The list includes 350 hospitals nationwide, eight of which are in New Jersey.

Virtua Voorhees received five out of five ribbons, signifying the highest-possible performance category and the hospital’s commitment to safety, outcomes, and personalized care. Ratings are based, in part, on medical data, patient satisfaction data, and reputation among industry leaders.

“We recognize the tremendous responsibility that comes with helping women and families welcome their babies to the world. Recognition like this affirms our patient-focused practices and collaborative, team-based approach to care,” said Nicole Lamborne, MD, Virtua’s vice president of clinical operations for women’s health.

In the 2021 calendar year, Virtua welcomed 9,109 babies, which represents a 7.36 percent increase over 2020. Virtua provides maternity services at three hospitals – Virtua Voorhees, Virtua Mount Holly, and Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes in Camden – as well as the freestanding Midwifery Birth & Wellness Center that opened in Voorhees in fall 2021.

Now, nearing the halfway point of 2022, Virtua projects it will end the year just shy of last year’s record-setting achievement.

“At Virtua, our volume of deliveries is matched by the quality of care and level of personalization we give,” said Stephanie Fendrick, FACHE, MBA, executive vice president and chief strategy officer. “We deeply appreciate how many families in the region trust us for maternity services, and we honor that by providing care that celebrates the individual and recognizes the incredible bond between parents and their babies.”

“We also recognize and celebrate the diversity within our communities,” added Dr. Lamborne. “Families come in all forms, and all families deserve respectful, compassionate care.”

Brittany and Matthew Jankaitis of Riverton, N.J., are among the many families that select Virtua for maternity care. The couple welcomed a baby boy in March 2018, followed by two daughters born in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

“Virtua was absolutely incredible. I delivered all three of my babies at Virtua Voorhees and I plan to deliver there for future babies as well. From the registration staff to the nurses and the doctors, everyone was wonderful. We joke that staying there was like a mini-vacation,” Brittany Jankaitis said. “We feel blessed to have access to a hospital like Virtua Voorhees.”

Notable aspects of Virtua’s maternity program include:

• In the spring of 2022, Virtua opened a midwifery practice in Camden City. Traditionally, this holistic, wellness-based approach to maternity care has been hard to come by for Camden residents. Virtua intends for this new practice to reduce common barriers to care (such as access and transportation) and advance healthy equity in the city.
  
  
• Contributing to Virtua’s record-setting 2021, Virtua Mount Holly Hospital assisted in the births of 120-plus babies born to displaced mothers from Afghanistan, most of whom resided at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst before finding more permanent housing. Mount Holly staff described it as an “honor” to help these families experiencing tremendous hardship.
  
  
• Virtua has implemented strict new protocols over the last several years that have significantly lowered C-section and episiotomy rates, provided for the rapid treatment of hypertensive patients, and provided risk assessments for a patient’s potential for hemorrhage. All of Virtua’s maternity staff members—physicians, laborists, and nurses—are involved in decision-making processes and the development of protocols.

Virtua’s reputation for excellence was also recognized by U.S. News & World Report on its inaugural list of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. That list included 237 high-performing hospitals across the United States.

To learn more about Newsweek’s list of Best Maternity Hospitals, visit https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-best-maternity-hospitals-2022.

To learn more about maternity services at Virtua Health, visit virtua.org/services/maternity.