Southampton Memorial Hospital isn’t perfect, and its administration never has claimed it to be so. Overwhelmingly, however — at a rate higher than every other hospital in Hampton Roads but one — the Franklin hospital’s patients are satisfied with the care they receive.

In a report released recently by the objective and respected nonprofit organization Virginia Health Information, SMH ranked highest in the region in eight out of 10 measures of patient satisfaction. Only Sentara Norfolk General Hospital rated higher overall. The results were based on at least 300 randomly selected patient surveys at each hospital.

SMH’s second-best overall rating and leading marks in cleanliness, providing speedy help, controlling pain, keeping noise down at night, nurse communication with patients, physician communication with patients, explaining medicines before giving them to patients, and providing patients with information for recovery at home are a feather in the hospital’s cap.

The survey — and the positive regional publicity that Franklin’s hospital has received as a result — is also good news for the community, which is blessed to have a full-service primary-care hospital that contributes significantly to the local economy and enhances the quality of life for its citizens.