Hayward Medical Center recognized nationally for maternity care

Tamarack Health’s Hayward Medical Center is getting national recognition for maternity care.

U.S. News and World Report has named the hospital a 2026 High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care, the highest rating a hospital can receive in the annual review.

The recognition also comes as maternity care is becoming harder to find in rural Wisconsin. Between 2009 and 2018, eleven rural Wisconsin hospitals closed their labor and delivery units, primarily due to clinician shortages, according to a study from the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health.

Interim OB Nurse Manager Jami Sjogren says the recognition reflects the quality of care patients experience every day.

“I’ve always thought that we provide amazing care, but really the recognition is about having a really low cesarean rate, that’s one of the biggest things they look for, high breast feeding rates and doing a lot of things like low intervention birth, and overall quality care and good outcomes afterwards,” says Sjogren.

This is the second year the hospital has received the recognition. Sjogren says being a smaller rural hospital allows staff to give patients more individual attention.

“Our unit is really special, we have a lower census than some of the bigger hospitals, so we really can spend that one on one time with them. Most of the time you’re going to be our only patient when we’re here,” say Sjogren.

She says that some patients might have the same nurse throughout labor, delivery, and postpartum stay, and emphasizes patient choice. 

“We’re really big on personalizing their experience, so if they want to be really hands on we’re happy to do that. If they want us to stay out of the room as much as possible, we’re happy to do that as well,” says Sjogren.

She adds that the work became even more meaningful after having her first baby at Tamarack Health this year.

“I have a whole different appreciation for the help that our nurses provide and it’s the most vulnerable a woman will ever be, and helping them through that is really special,” says Sjogren.

In 2025, Tamarack Health celebrated delivering a record 200 babies.