DeTar Achieves Cesarean Rate Below National Goal, Setting High Standard for Maternity Care

2/19/2026

One of DeTar’s labor and delivery mission statements affirms that families deserve high-quality, safe, and timely care delivered with dignity and respect. Obstetrics is a specialty unlike any other. Patients often arrive with individualized birth plans and unique expectations, and those preferences must be balanced with the daily clinical demands of labor management. This creates an extraordinary level of responsibility for both nursing and medical staff.

Nationally, outcomes for normal, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) births are closely monitored. The World Health Organization and the Healthy People 2030 initiative have set a target to reduce the NTSV cesarean birth rate to 23.6% by 2030. The current U.S. national rate stands at 25.3%. These benchmarks place meaningful responsibility on every labor and delivery unit across the country.

In Fall 2024, Mary Claire Bradshaw, R.N., and Erica Rangnow, R.N., undertook a clinical advancement project focused on improving maternal and fetal outcomes by closely examining this critical metric: the NTSV cesarean section rate. Dr. Melissa Wilson served as physician champion for the initiative. The entire nursing and medical staff supported the project’s goals because, as is always true in labor and delivery, it is a team effort.

Throughout the 2025 calendar year, Mary Claire and Erica conducted a standardized review of every NTSV cesarean section performed at DeTar. Anyone who has reviewed a complete medical record and continuous fetal monitoring strip understands the time, precision, and clinical knowledge required for such thorough evaluation.

Their work — along with the dedication of the entire labor and delivery team — produced exceptional outcomes. In 2025, DeTar achieved an NTSV cesarean rate of 23.4%, outperforming both the national goal of 23.6% and the national average of 25.3%. This is a remarkable accomplishment that speaks directly to the team’s commitment to evidence-based practice, collaboration and safe patient care.

This achievement distinguishes DeTar Hospital North not only within the Crossroads region, but beyond. Our community should take pride in knowing that outstanding, nationally benchmarked maternity care is available close to home.

Please join me in congratulating our DeTar Labor and Delivery nursing and medical staff for setting a high standard of excellence and demonstrating what quality, compassionate care truly looks like.

Sincerely,

Maria Torres, M.D., FACOG
Maternal Medical Director
DeTar Hospital North

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