Southwestern Medical Center Named to Becker's 2025 Listing of Great Community Hospitals

Southwestern Medical Center (Southwestern) is one of 100 hospitals included in the 2025 Becker’s Hospital Review (Becker’s) listing of “Great Community Hospitals” released on Friday, July 11. Southwestern was the only hospital from the state of Oklahoma to make the list. This is the third year in a row that Southwestern was included.

Hospitals recognized in the listing, per Becker’s, are “dedicated to clinical excellence, academic advancement, and personalized, whole-person care delivery. Their mission is to elevate health outcomes within the communities they serve.” 

“It’s quite an honor to again be included in Becker’s listing of great community hospitals, and to be the only hospital in our state to achieve this recognition,” said Libby Ferguson, Interim CEO of Southwestern. “Our work at Southwestern earns incredible validation on a daily basis with each positive patient outcome we deliver and each life we change for the better. But we also greatly appreciate national accolades such as this from Becker’s – it’s extremely gratifying to our hospital, our team, and the communities that support us.”

Becker’s editorial team selected the 100 hospitals for inclusion based on their nominations and the insights from respected rankings and ratings organizations, including U.S. News & World Report, Healthgrades, CMS, The Leapfrog Group, the National Rural Health Association, and The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

In its announcement of the hospitals included in the list, Becker’s espoused the value of community hospitals, noting that “Community hospitals play a vital role in the fabric of the U.S. healthcare system, delivering accessible, affordable care to patients beyond major metropolitan areas. Whether serving rural regions or suburban neighborhoods, these hospitals are essential to keeping communities healthy and connected to quality care.”

Southwestern strives to bring essential healthcare services to the Lawton/Fort Sill area and has done so for generations. Its extensive services include a rehabilitation center, a sleep center, and the 92-bed Southwestern Behavioral Health Center serving both pediatric and adult patients. The hospital’s 2024 Community Benefit Report captures elements of its important impact on the communities it serves.

The Becker’s listing continues a string of recognitions for Southwestern. In May, Southwestern received an “A” grade for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group. In 2024, it earned Healthgrades’ 2024 Outstanding Patient Experience Award, an honor attained by only 15% of the approximately 4,500 eligible hospitals across the country. It was also included in Newsweek’s listing of “America’s Best-In-State Hospitals 2024.”

“Most of the time, when you do good work, good things follow,” said Ferguson. “Our team members chose healthcare to do good for others, and it’s nice that their exceptionalism is garnering recognition.”