UT Health East Texas Athens Hospital: labor and delivery in Athens, TX
UT Health East Texas Athens Hospital is a hospital in Athens, Henderson County, Texas that delivers babies. It handled 610 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 26% delivered by C-section (194 such births). That is the same as the Texas rate of 26% and the same as the U.S. median of 26%.
- 26%First-birth C-section rate
- 610Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 538Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 4 of 5Patient survey stars
- 2 of 5Overall hospital stars
Birth services at UT Health East Texas Athens Hospital
- Newborn care: Level I newborn nursery
- Private labor and delivery rooms
- Epidural and pain relief options
- Lactation consultants
- Childbirth and parenting classes
- High-risk pregnancy and maternal-fetal medicine care
Tour, class and care-team details are on the hospital's maternity page.
Address and phone
2000 South Palestine St
Athens, TX 75751
Henderson County
Call (903) 676-1000 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: For-profit
How UT Health East Texas Athens Hospital compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 26% | 26% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 538 | 248 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 87 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Bottom 25% (most complications).
In Texas, UT Health East Texas Athens Hospital has the 76th-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 164 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: 4 of 5 stars
- 71% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 71% 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
UT Health East Texas Athens 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 Athens
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palestine Regional Medical Center | Palestine | 33 | – | 354 | Yes |
| UT Health East Texas Tyler Regional Hospital | Tyler | 34 | 24% | 1,508 | Yes |
| Christus Mother Frances Hospital | Tyler | 34 | 25% | 2,819 | Yes |
| UT Health East Texas Jacksonville Hospital | Jacksonville | 37 | 12% | 359 | Yes |
| Navarro Regional Hospital | Corsicana | 39 | 29% | 455 | Yes |
| Dallas Regional Medical Center | Mesquite | 61 | 25% | 1,443 | Yes |
All hospitals in Athens · Henderson County · All Texas hospitals