Baptist Health - Fort Smith: labor and delivery in Fort Smith, AR
Baptist Health - Fort Smith is a hospital in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas that delivers babies. It handled 424 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 22% delivered by C-section (112 such births). That is below the Arkansas rate of 26% and below the U.S. median of 26%.
- 22%First-birth C-section rate
- 424Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 86Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 2 of 5Patient survey stars
- 2 of 5Overall hospital stars
Birth services at Baptist Health - Fort Smith
- Newborn care: NICU on site
- Midwifery care
- Skin-to-skin time after birth
- Childbirth and parenting classes
- Birth center tours
- High-risk pregnancy and maternal-fetal medicine care
Tour, class and care-team details are on the hospital's maternity page.
Address and phone
1001 Towson Avenue
Fort Smith, AR 72901
Sebastian County
Call (479) 441-4000 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: Nonprofit, Private
How Baptist Health - Fort Smith compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 22% | 26% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 86 | 245 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 51 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Top 25% (fewest complications).
In Arkansas, Baptist Health - Fort Smith has the 8th-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 27 hospitals that report one.
The first-birth C-section rate counts first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby. Complication rates are adjusted for patient risk. Our data explains each number.
What patients say
- Patient survey summary: 2 of 5 stars
- 64% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 62% of patients rated this hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
Survey results cover all patients at the hospital, not only maternity patients.
Birthing-Friendly designation
Baptist Health - Fort Smith holds the federal Birthing-Friendly designation. Hospitals earn it by taking part in a perinatal quality collaborative and following maternal safety practices.
Other hospitals that deliver babies near Fort Smith
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Fort Smith | Fort Smith | 4.0 | 31% | 2,916 | Yes |
| Cherokee Nation W W Hastings Indian Hospital | Tahlequah | 48 | 27% | 1,073 | Yes |
| Northeastern Health System | Tahlequah | 48 | 22% | 173 | Yes |
| Washington Regional Medical Center | Fayetteville | 53 | 24% | 2,776 | Yes |
| Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority | Talihina | 55 | 97% | 88 | Yes |
| Johnson Regional Medical Center | Clarksville | 55 | 16% | 319 | Yes |
More labor and delivery in Fort Smith
All hospitals in Fort Smith · Sebastian County · All Arkansas hospitals