How 3 Long Island hospitals lowered their C

Although cesarean section rates have been roughly stagnant for years statewide and nationwide, some Long Island hospitals have made dramatic progress in reducing the percentage of low-risk pregnancies that result in C-sections.

In 2017, more than 40% of low-risk pregnancies at Mount Sinai South Nassau — then called South Nassau Communities Hospital — ended in cesareans, according to The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that focuses on hospital safety and quality. By last year, the rate had fallen to 21.5%.

"It was a concerted effort from both the physician side and the nursing side to get these numbers down," said Dr. Alan Garely, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the Oceanside hospital.

In the past, the maternity department had taken a "physician-first" approach to labor and delivery