Community members, elected leaders and others testified Monday at a hearing on the potential closure of the Burdett Birth Center in Troy. The meeting was hosted by New York Attorney General Tish James at Russell Sage College.
More than 30 individuals provided testimony, agreeing that the proposed closure is not just a Troy or Rensselaer County issue – saying it affects Washington, Columbia and Albany counties as well. James says the prospect of the Samaritan Hospital facility’s closure is “deeply concerning” because it’s the only maternal unit in Rensselaer County.
Capital Region state Assemblymember Pat Fahy, a fellow Democrat, sides with advocates who argue the regional impact of shuttering Burdett would see hundreds of mothers-to-be each year diverted to St. Peter's Hospital and Albany Medical Center.
"In 2022, there were over 800 births here," said Fahy. "And so many of them are women of color as well as low- income or economically disadvantaged women. This is about making sure that quality care, and you've heard the numbers, they have the lowest level of C sections in the region, quality care matters. Working with midwives and doulas matter. And so it's really important that we keep quality health care in the community, and that we not make short-sighted decisions that in the end, really hurt quality services throughout the region."
Tia Greene, due to give birth in about a month, fears any proposed closure.
"I would be affected tremendously, and I honestly feel like I might just have my baby at home and then have to suffer going to what I dread as the ER or the hospital, where they don't give the attention I feel isn't necessary for a new birthing mother and a newborn infant. They don't specialize in certain areas like that, like the Burdett care center does," Greene said.
Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas testified Rensselaer County already has high infant mortality and maternal mortality rates that only could get worse if Burdett shutters.
"St. Peter’s will still do OBY services, which means they'll be working with the mother for the nine months," said Wachunas. "But there's, the birthing plan, will not be happening in Rensselaer County. So part of that will they will have to travel to you know, across the river or wherever they want to give birth, but it will not be in Rensselaer County. We're concerned about the people that live in the city of Troy, who don't have access to transportation a barrier to maybe an Uber, the cost of an Uber or any of them. Public transportation, you know, yes. Albany is maybe 10 minutes away for you and I driving, but for someone that uses public transportation, it's going to be a lot longer."
Dr. Mary Applegate, a public health physician, testified to the potential health implications of requiring women to be transported across the Hudson River to Albany or to Vermont to get obstetric care in the case of an emergency.
"Those are really rare, but they're extremely serious because they risk the lives of both infants and mothers, and can include things like maternal hemorrhage, which is one of the top three causes of maternal mortality, compression of the umbilical cord, cutting off baby's source of oxygen, and rupture of the uterus from things like a car crash or an assault. So having access to expert obstetric care is an essential backup to midwifery care. The two of those working closely together are the best way for women to be pregnant and babies to be born," Applegate said.
Saying "If money can be found to keep Burdett operating, great. If not, let’s work together to find solutions," Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany submitted a written statement for the record, adding "This hearing will hopefully shed light on specific needs. Let’s take that information and, instead of fighting each other for what we want, let’s also listen to each other, and work together to find solutions that can work for all."
St. Peter's Health Partners submitted an eight-page statement saying it plans to continue prenatal care in Troy, and states that even after the closure of Burdett, the Samaritan Hospital emergency room will remain open to mothers in labor.
Democratic Capital Region Assemblyman John McDonald, who is also a pharmacist, believes St. Peter’s has "struggled in regards to their message" on Burdett's planned closure.
"This became more about making their margins, making a 3% margin," said McDonald. "This isn't a grocery store operation. It's a not-for-profit health care provider. And I'm all about being sustainable as a health care provider for 35, 40 years. I've taken my losses, I can't think of a better issue that if you had to take a loss, or just breakeven, the birth of a child, for a Catholic institution to me, is probably a good one to try to deal with. And sadly, in spite of the fact that they've had a 37-point increase in reimbursement through Medicare, which has a significant impact of over $100 million to their operations in the next year to come. In spite of the fact that the state legislature raised their Medicaid rates for the first time in decades by 7%. They're refusing to look back and say, Geez, maybe we can look at this a little bit differently. And this is why I'm glad the Attorney General's here doing a much deeper dive."
The state Department of Health, which did not provide testimony at the hearing, is also reviewing the proposal to shutter Burdett.
