SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
Troy, N.Y. community campaign reverses hospital plan to close its only birthing center
Trinity Health, a Michigan-based Catholic hospital system operating 91 hospitals and recording more than $25 billion in revenue last year, announced plans to close the Burdett Birth Center at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, N.Y., citing financial losses. A broad coalition of residents, elected officials from both parties, midwives, doulas, patient advocates, and community leaders organized to oppose the closure. Nearly a year after the announcement, Trinity reversed course and said Burdett would remain open.
Troy, New York's Burdett Birth Center had operated at Samaritan Hospital for generations, and by recent measures had become a model for patient-focused maternity care — with a C-section rate of roughly 25 percent compared to the statewide average of about a third, along with fewer preterm births and fewer babies with low birth weights, according to 2025 hospital data reported by NPR.
Three years ago, Trinity Health informed the community that the birth center was losing money and would close, directing families in Troy and Rensselaer County to deliver at a Trinity-affiliated hospital in Albany, up to a half-hour away. The news broke first in a local newspaper, without advance notice to obstetrical staff or community leaders, according to NPR's reporting. Within days, a rally was held at the downtown YWCA; further rallies followed, with volunteers producing T-shirts and distributing "Save Burdett" signs at the local farmers market.
Activists conducted a community survey finding that 1 in 4 Troy residents lacked access to a car, making the Albany alternative difficult. New York Attorney General Letitia James launched an investigation into the proposed closure and hosted a public hearing in Troy. State Assemblyman John T. McDonald III, a Democrat, worked alongside Republican elected officials — including the county executive and the state senator representing Troy — to secure $5 million in state funding to help keep the center open. Trinity Health had sued the state in an effort to proceed with the closure before ultimately reversing its decision.