Palomar Health Downtown Campus: labor and delivery in Escondido, CA
Palomar Health Downtown Campus is a hospital in Escondido, San Diego County, California that delivers babies. It handled 3,135 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 17% delivered by C-section (1,005 such births). That is below the California rate of 25% and below the U.S. median of 26%.
- 17%First-birth C-section rate
- 3,135Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 542Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 2 of 5Patient survey stars
- 3 of 5Overall hospital stars
Address and phone
555 East Valley Parkway
Escondido, CA 92025
San Diego County
Call (760) 739-3000 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: Government, hospital district
How Palomar Health Downtown Campus compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 17% | 25% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 542 | 286 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 82 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Bottom 25% (most complications). Not counting transfusion-only cases: Middle 50%.
In California, Palomar Health Downtown Campus has the 8th-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: 2 of 5 stars
- 65% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 65% 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
Palomar Health Downtown Campus 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 Escondido
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos | San Marcos | 6.0 | 24% | 1,594 | Yes |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital - Encinitas | Encinitas | 14 | 20% | 1,881 | Yes |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital la Jolla | La Jolla | 19 | 25% | 3,315 | Yes |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital | San Diego | 23 | 28% | 6,549 | Yes |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego | San Diego | 23 | 27% | 3,593 | Yes |
| Grossmont Hospital | La Mesa | 24 | 24% | 2,272 | Yes |
More in San Diego County
- Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista)
- Scripps Memorial Hospital - Encinitas (Encinitas)
- Scripps Memorial Hospital la Jolla (La Jolla)
- Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa)
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego (San Diego)
- Scripps Mercy Hospital (San Diego)
- Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego)
- UC San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Medical Center (San Diego)
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos (San Marcos)
All hospitals in Escondido · San Diego County · All California hospitals