How a New York Community United to Save Its Last Birthing Center
- Residents in Troy, New York, successfully prevented the closure of the Burdett Birth Center at Samaritan Hospital after a three-year campaign that united community members across political divisions.
- Trinity Health, a multibillion-dollar hospital system based in Michigan, initially announced plans to shutter the Burdett Birth Center due to financial losses, suggesting families travel up to thirty...
- The proposed closure mobilized an unusual coalition of local leaders from both major political parties, patient advocates, mothers, midwives, doulas, and community organizations.
Residents in Troy, New York, successfully prevented the closure of the Burdett Birth Center at Samaritan Hospital after a three-year campaign that united community members across political divisions. The facility serves as the county’s last remaining birthing center and faced closure by its parent organization, Trinity Health.
A Three-Year Fight to Save Troy’s Last Birthing Center
Trinity Health, a multibillion-dollar hospital system based in Michigan, initially announced plans to shutter the Burdett Birth Center due to financial losses, suggesting families travel up to thirty minutes to Albany for maternity care. The healthcare corporation operates ninety-one hospitals and reported over twenty-five billion dollars in revenue with an operating margin exceeding five percent.
Unlikely Coalitions Form Across Political and Institutional Divides
The proposed closure mobilized an unusual coalition of local leaders from both major political parties, patient advocates, mothers, midwives, doulas, and community organizations. The grassroots effort bridged historical divides, bringing groups like Planned Parenthood and the Catholic diocese together to protect local maternity services.
A community survey conducted by organizers revealed that approximately one in four Troy residents lacked access to a personal vehicle, meaning they would face severe obstacles traveling to the alternative facility in Albany.
Data from 2025 showed that roughly twenty-five percent of births at the center involved cesarean sections, while the statewide rate sits at approximately one-third. The facility also recorded lower rates of preterm births and low birth weight cases as midwives and doulas collaborated with obstetricians to support non-surgical deliveries when appropriate.
Grassroots Pressure Yields Five Million Dollars in State Support
Volunteers sustained pressure on corporate healthcare leadership through rallies, awareness campaigns at local markets, and direct outreach to residents. That sustained community mobilization ultimately secured government backing to keep the doors open.
State Assembly member John T. McDonald III secured five million dollars in state funding to keep the birth center operational and serving the Troy area.