I’ve had babies at both hospitals, and both were wonderful. I loved that everyone gets a private room at Mercy, but Cox may now do that also (though they didn’t back when I had my first two babies). Either way, we received excellent care at both hospitals. I absolutely think the food is better at Mercy, but that’s obviously subjective. There will always be negative anecdotal experiences about both, as there are bad eggs anywhere. But overall, you’re going to get excellent care in Springfield. The bigger consideration is finding a good doctor you gel with, and insurance usually limits choices somewhat. Concentrate on the choice of doctor first, and the rest will fall into place.