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The basics:

• 19 New Jersey facilities earn spots on Newsweek‘s Best Maternity Hospitals 2026 list
• 4 more recognized compared with 2025 rankings
• Rankings based on quality metrics, patient experience, reputation
• Top hospitals noted for AI tools, expanded maternal care services

Newsweek delivered its America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2026 ranking April 22, naming 460 of the nation’s leading facilities. 

New Jersey improved upon its showing from 2025. This year, 19 in-state hospitals earned a mention on the list – four more than last year. 

“Choosing where to give birth is one of the most important health care decisions a family can make, with lasting implications for both parent and child,” Newsweek Health Care editor Alexis Kayser said in a statement accompanying the list. “This ranking is designed to bring clarity to that choice by highlighting hospitals that deliver strong outcomes, high-quality care and supportive patient experiences.”

Newsweek and data research firm Statista based the rankings on three metrics: 

• Hospital quality – Sources included the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; The Leapfrog Hospital Survey; and the Joint Commission 
• Patient experience – Publicly available data from hospital surveys 
• Reputation score – Hospital managers and medical professionals were asked to complete an online survey

Researchers analyzed overall data and survey responses that addressed timely and effective care; health care-associated infections; hospital cleanliness; staff communication; and more. 

Newsweek added that the hospitals with the highest scores “are distinguished by their integration of ambient AI for clinical documentation, remote patient monitoring to combat rising hypertension, and the expansion of doula and midwifery integration to improve equity in birth outcomes.” 

Newsweek named these New Jersey providers among America’s Best Maternity Hospitals for 2026: 

Five ribbons: 

• Morristown Medical Center, Morristown | Atlantic Health 
• Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck 
• Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill, Mullica Hill | Inspira Health 
• Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro | Penn Medicine 

Four ribbons: 

• Overlook Medical Center, Summit | Atlantic Health 
• AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center – City Campus | Atlantic City 
• Chilton Medical Center, Pompton Plains | Atlantic Health 
• Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston | RWJBarnabas Health 
• Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Englewood | Englewood Health 
• Ocean Medical Center, Brick | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Pascack Valley Medical Center, Westwood | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City | RWJBarnabas Health 
• Newton Medical Center, Newton | Atlantic Health 
• Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch | RWJBarnabas Health 
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick | RWJBarnabas Health 
• Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick | Saint Peter’s Healthcare System 
• The Valley Hospital, Paramus | Valley Health System 

‘Making families feel safe’ 

Englewood Hospital shared its announcement with NJBIZ, noting this marks its fifth consecutive year on the list. 

“This recognition reflects the standard our team holds ourselves to every day,” said Valerie French, senior director of nursing for maternal/child health, Englewood Hospital. “We are there for patients through some of the most meaningful—and sometimes most complex—moments of their lives. It’s not just about clinical excellence. It’s about making families feel safe, supported, and truly cared for from the first visit through delivery and beyond.”

RWJBarnabas Health released its announcement April 23, noting its maternity hospitals deliver more than 25,000 babies each year.

“To have four RWJBarnabas Health maternity hospitals receive this prestigious recognition is further testament to the expertise, compassion, and dedication of our maternity teams across the state,” said Suzanne Spernal, senior vice president of women’s health for RWJBarnabas Health. “We are so proud to lead the state in delivering safe, evidence-based care to mothers, babies, and families in our communities.”

Saint Peter’s, which delivered more than 5,400 babies in 2025, announced its recognition in an April 24 statement.

“Saint Peter’s is known as the place to have your baby because of the comprehensive, compassionate care we offer for expectant women,” said Leslie Hirsch, president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “As a state-designated Regional Perinatal Center, we are unique in that we provide highly-specialized maternal-fetal medicine services for those experiencing a high-risk pregnancy with needs that might require our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). For women experiencing a low-risk pregnancy, we offer midwifery services in both our Labor and Delivery Unit and in our hospital-based Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center. As a result, expectant mothers can have confidence in their chosen destination for delivery and care of their newest family member.”

In focus

One of former First Lady Tammy Murphy’s main focuses was improving maternal and infant health in the Garden State. The cornerstone of her Nurture NJ initiative is the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center in Trenton, which broke ground in July 2025.

In December, U.S. News & World Report named 27 New Jersey facilities to its Best Maternity Hospital 2026 ranking.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:43 p.m. April 23, 2026, with a statement from RWJBarnabas Health, and again at 7:27 a.m. April 24 with a statement from Saint Peter’s.