MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 9, 2025--
The Mother Baby Center, a partnership between Allina Health and Children’s Minnesota, is pleased to announce that its locations at United Hospital in St. Paul and Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids have been recognized among the 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report. Both locations received the top rating of High Performing for their excellence in labor and delivery services for uncomplicated pregnancies.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251208034933/en/
Additionally, The Mother Baby Center at Mercy Hospital was named a Maternity Care Access Hospital for providing quality maternity care to underserved communities.
“This honor reflects the unwavering commitment of our teams to provide not only the safest and highest-quality care, but also the compassion and support every family deserves,” said Indy Lane, MD, vice president, Women’s Health at Allina Health and leader of The Mother Baby Center. “Every birth is a profound moment. We consider it a privilege to walk alongside families during this life-changing experience.”
Learn more aboutThe Mother Baby Center
The High Performing designation is the highest award a hospital can earn from U.S. News and World Report’s national rankings for hospitals providing maternity care. To receive the High Performing designation, The Mother Baby Centers in St. Paul and Coon Rapids were evaluated on several measures such as:
U.S. News and World Report’s annual evaluation is designed to assist expectant parents in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity care. Nearly 900 hospitals participated in the survey.
About Allina Health
Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 13 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Children’s Minnesota
Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only one in Minnesota devoted exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system for more than 100 years, Children’s Minnesota offers more than 60 pediatric specialties through its two hospitals, multiple specialty centers and clinics throughout the metro area. The Kid Experts ® at Children’s Minnesota are chosen by more families than any other pediatric health system in the region.
Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Instagram @childrensmn. Please visit childrensMN.org.
The Mother Baby Center location at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan was assessing damage Tuesday and cautioning people of potential aftershocks after a late-night 7.5 magnitude earthquake caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities.
At least 33 people were injured, one seriously, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Most of them were hit by falling objects, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters an emergency task force was formed to urgently assess damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.
At a parliamentary session Tuesday, Takaichi pledged the government would continue its utmost effort and reminded people they have to protect their own lives.
The 7.5 magnitude quake struck around 11:15 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.6 magnitude and said it occurred 44 kilometers (27 miles) below the surface.
A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and waves up to 50 centimeters struck other communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. NHK reported the waves damaged some oyster rafts.
The agency lifted all tsunami advisories by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said about 800 homes were without electricity and Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region in the early hours of Tuesday. East Japan Railway said it is aiming to resume bullet trains in the region later Tuesday.
Power was mostly restored by Tuesday morning, according to the Tohoku Electric Power Co.
About 480 residents sheltered at Hachinohe Air Base and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
About 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported. Part of a domestic terminal building was unusable Tuesday after parts of its ceiling cracked and fell to the floor, according to the airport operator.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters (118 gallons) of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern. No abnormalities were found at other nuclear power plants and spent fuel storage facilities, the NRA said.
JMA cautioned about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan's northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week, reminding them that the caution is not a prediction of a big one.
Monday's quake occurred just north of the coastal region where the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
“You need to prepare, assuming that a disaster like that could happen again," JMA official Satoshi Harada said.
Smaller aftershocks were continuing Tuesday. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.6 and later a 5.1 quake in the hours after the initial temblor.
People cover the broken glasses with a blue sheet at a beauty salon in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kazuki Kozaki/Kyodo News via AP)
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo after a strong earthquake struck northeastern Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)
Evacuees get ready to return home as a tsunami advosory has been lifted in Hidaka town, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kyodo News via AP)
Papers are scattered on the floor at an office in Hakodate, Hokkaido, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kyodo News via AP)
A man clears the debris from a powerful earthquake at a commercial facility in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Ren Onuma/Kyodo News via AP)
This aerial photo shows a vehicle sitting on a damaged road in Tohoku town, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kyodo News via AP)
