U.S. News & World Report recognizes St. Mary’s Medical Center as Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access

Thursday, July 18, 2024

St. Mary’s is among 98 community hospitals recognized for providing high-quality care to underserved populations.

St. Mary’s Medical Center, a member of Marshall Health Network, has been recognized for its success as a high performing hospital providing excellent care to patients in underserved communities.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized for our commitment to health equity,” said Angie Swearingen, COO for St. Mary’s Medical Center. “For 100 years, we’ve upheld the mission of the Pallottine Sisters to provide exceptional care to all patients, regardless of their background or circumstances. Receiving the honor of being named a Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access is a testament to our employees’ continued commitment to this legacy of serving the underserved with compassion and high-quality care.”

U.S. News identified 98 hospitals that received a Best Regional Hospital designation in 2023 or 2024 and met at least two of the following criteria:

• Had 40% or more of its medical and surgical patients from a community of greater socioeconomic deprivation (according to the Area Deprivation Index);
• Served 20% or more racial/ethnic minority patients or was in the highest tier in at least one of five racial and ethnic patient representation measures with at least 2.5% of patients from the corresponding group, and;
• Served a high proportion of Medicaid patients or was in the highest tier in the measure of low-income patient representation.

“The Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access demonstrate by their example that a hospital can both excel in overall quality of care and provide a substantial amount of that exceptional care to historically underserved communities,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “Recognizing community hospitals that lead in this respect is a modest but necessary step toward ensuring everyone in the U.S. has access to high-quality medical care.”

“U.S. News' recognition of the Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access highlights the important and necessary work hospitals are doing to improve care for underserved communities,” said Tavia Binger, health data scientist at U.S. News. “This positive representation of community hospitals' dedication to equitable access across 35 states is promising. However, this recognition also underscores the need for continued focus on prioritizing health care among vulnerable populations who may face numerous social and economic challenges in receiving care.”

Explore the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals online rankings to learn more.