Dominican Hospital: labor and delivery in Santa Cruz, CA
Dominican Hospital is a hospital in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California that delivers babies. It handled 774 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 20% delivered by C-section (255 such births). That is below the California rate of 25% and below the U.S. median of 26%.
- 20%First-birth C-section rate
- 774Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 404Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 3 of 5Patient survey stars
- 4 of 5Overall hospital stars
Birth services at Dominican Hospital
- Newborn care: Level III NICU
- Private labor and delivery rooms
- Midwifery care
- Epidural and pain relief options
- Lactation consultants
- Skin-to-skin time after birth
- Childbirth and parenting classes
- Birth center tours
- OB hospitalists on staff
Tour, class and care-team details are on the hospital's maternity page.
Address and phone
1555 Soquel Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
Santa Cruz County
Call (831) 462-7700 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: Nonprofit, Private
How Dominican Hospital compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 20% | 25% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 404 | 286 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 39 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Middle 50%. Not counting transfusion-only cases: Top 25% (fewest complications).
In California, Dominican Hospital has the 22nd-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 179 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: 3 of 5 stars
- 68% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 67% 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
Dominican Hospital 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 Santa Cruz
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | 0.4 | 18% | 661 | Yes |
| Watsonville Community Hospital | Watsonville | 11 | – | – | Yes |
| Good Samaritan Hospital | San Jose | 18 | 20% | 2,129 | Yes |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Jose | San Jose | 20 | 28% | 2,027 | Yes |
| Santa Clara Valley Medical Center | San Jose | 23 | 21% | 3,030 | Yes |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Santa Clara | Santa Clara | 24 | 25% | 4,093 | Yes |
More labor and delivery in Santa Cruz
More in Santa Cruz County
- Watsonville Community Hospital (Watsonville)
All hospitals in Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz County · All California hospitals