DARLINGTON — Lafayette Hospital + Clinics (formerly Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County) in Darlington was recently named one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) for overall performance/quality/patient perspective in the country.

The Top 20 CAHs, including Lafayette Hospital + Clinics, scored best among CAHs as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health for quality and patient satisfaction. The rankings were recently announced by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). An awards ceremony will be held during NRHA’s Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Mo. 

The Top 20 CAHs have achieved success in overall performance based on a composite rating from eight indices of strength: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance. This group was selected from the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s 2025 top 100 CAH list, which was released earlier this year.

The Top 20 CAH best practice recipients have achieved success in one of two key areas of performance:

Quality index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across rural-relevant process of care measures.

Patient perspective index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across all 10 HCAHPS domains.

“We are incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work of our providers and staff, whose efforts have led to our hospital receiving this prestigious designation,” said Marie Wamsley, CEO. “This recognition couldn’t come at a better time — as we recently moved to our new location. We look forward to celebrating with our team and community during Healthcare Week, May 12-15. Being named an Overall Top 20 Critical Access Hospital reinforces our commitment to providing essential, high-quality care both now and in the future.”

For more information about Lafayette Hospital + Clinics, visit lafayettehospital.org.