Blessing Hospital recognized for higher quality in maternity care Blessing Hospi Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois has recognized Blessing Hospital with a Blue Distinction® Centers (BDC) for Maternity Care designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. To earn the designation, Blessing Hospital’s maternity care team met or exceeded quality selection criteria set by the BDC program. Those designated as Blue Distinction Centers show statistically significant differences in key clinical outcomes compared to their peers and demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients. In 2020, the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care Program was expanded beyond traditional outcome measures to include assessments of internal quality improvement, data collection and dissemination, and internal protocols that better address clinical quality and equity issues in maternity care.