MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown: labor and delivery in Columbia, SC
MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown is a hospital in Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina that delivers babies. It handled 343 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 28% delivered by C-section (124 such births). That is above the South Carolina rate of 25% and above the U.S. median of 26%.
- 28%First-birth C-section rate
- 343Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 325Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 3 of 5Patient survey stars
- 3 of 5Overall hospital stars
Birth services at MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown
- Newborn care: NICU on site
- High-risk pregnancy and maternal-fetal medicine care
Tour, class and care-team details are on the hospital's maternity page.
Address and phone
2435 Forest Drive
Columbia, SC 29204
Richland County
Call (803) 256-5300 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: Nonprofit, Private
How MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 28% | 25% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 325 | 219 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 64 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Middle 50%.
In South Carolina, MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown has the 22nd-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 34 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
MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown 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 Columbia
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prisma Health Baptist | Columbia | 1.4 | 25% | 1,287 | Yes |
| Prisma Health Richland Hospital | Columbia | 3.7 | 28% | 2,861 | Yes |
| Lexington Medical Center | West Columbia | 6.0 | 25% | 3,889 | Yes |
| Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge | Columbia | 9.2 | 18% | 1,101 | Yes |
| Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital | Sumter | 39 | 31% | 932 | Yes |
| Newberry County Memorial Hospital | Newberry | 39 | – | 75 | Yes |
More labor and delivery in Columbia
All hospitals in Columbia · Richland County · All South Carolina hospitals