Baton Rouge, La. (March 17, 2025) — The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) and the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC) are announcing 35 birthing hospitals that have achieved the 2025 Louisiana Birth Ready or Birth Ready+ Designation. This recognition is awarded to hospitals that have committed to quality improvement practices aimed at improving birth outcomes for mothers in Louisiana.
“The Department of Health is committed to improving maternal health outcomes in Louisiana, and working together moves us one step closer to positive change,” said Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham. “I applaud these hospitals for their dedication and willingness to put in the hard work to achieve Birth Ready and Birth Ready+ Designation because our mothers deserve the support.”
The Birth Ready Designation, launched by the LaPQC in 2021, has seen growing participation each year. In 2021, 27 facilities achieved the Louisiana Birth Ready Designation. Today, 35 of Louisiana's 46 birthing hospitals are designated. Notably, Opelousas General Health System, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, and Willis-Knighton Bossier Health Center have earned the Birth Ready Designation for the first time during this cycle.
Birth Ready Designation is earned by birthing hospitals that must meet standards across five key areas, including the implementation of policies and procedures to enhance recognition and response to clinical causes of severe maternal morbidity and promoting patient partnership. Hospitals that have achieved the Louisiana Birth Ready+ Designation have exceeded these requirements and reached a higher level of compliance. This year, one hospital advanced from Louisiana Birth Ready to Louisiana Birth Ready+.
All hospitals that receive this designation have demonstrated significant efforts to implement evidence-based practices that improve care. Hospitals granted this honor undergo a thorough application and review process by the LaPQC Birth Ready Designation Committee. Many designated hospitals have been collaborating with the LaPQC for years to improve outcomes for mothers and newborns throughout the state.
“Birthing hospitals across Louisiana are working diligently to ensure safe and patient-centered care for Louisiana families,” said Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, medical director of the LaPQC. “Improving care for mothers in Louisiana is one of the Department's top priorities. Birthing hospitals achieving designation have demonstrated achievement in reaching that goal.”
The following Louisiana birthing hospitals have achieved Birth Ready Designation:
Baton Rouge General Hospital
CHRISTUS Shreveport Bossier – Highland Medical Center
CHRISTUS Ochsner Lake Area Hospital
CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital
Iberia Medical Center
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women
Lakeside Hospital LCMC Health
Ochsner American Legion Hospital
Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge
Ochsner Medical Center – West Bank
Opelousas General Health System*
Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center*
Slidell Memorial Hospital
St. Francis Medical Center
Terrebonne General Health System
Thibodaux Regional Health System
West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital
Willis-Knighton Bossier Health Center*
Willis-Knighton South and the Center for Women's Health
*indicates a newly designated Birth Ready Facility
The LaPQC, an initiative of the Department’s Office of Public Health and the Louisiana Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality, is focused on improving perinatal and neonatal outcomes across Louisiana.
For more information and see a full list of hospitals, visit lapqc.org.
