Attorney General James Releases Statement on St. Peter’s Health Partners’ Decision to Stop Plans to Close the Burdett Birth Center

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement in response to the decision by St. Peter’s Health Partners (St. Peter’s) to drop its plans to close the Burdett Birth Center in Troy:

“Maternal health facilities, like the Burdett Birth Center, provide vital services to new parents, and they are more essential than ever as we work to lower maternal mortality rates and address systemic flaws within the healthcare system. That is why St. Peter’s Health Partners’ announcement that they intended to close Burdett raised such major concerns throughout the Capital Region, and within my office. Following a public hearing that I held in September 2023, it was clear that this facility is essential to thousands of families throughout Troy, Rensselaer County, and the surrounding communities. While this announcement is welcome news, I will continue to monitor the situation and take action if needed.”

The Burdett Birth Center is the only maternity and delivery center in Rensselaer County and serves residents of the Capital Region and surrounding communities, delivering up to 1,000 newborns every year and providing essential pre- and post-natal care. Over half of its patients are eligible for Medicaid and a quarter are people of color. The Burdett Birth Center is located in Samaritan Hospital of Troy. Samaritan is an independent hospital affiliated with St. Peter’s Health Partners and Trinity Health, an Indiana corporation headquartered in Michigan. In 2020, Samaritan and the then-independent Burdett Care Center sought approval from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the New York Department of Health to merge. As part of the merger request, Burdett and Samaritan stated to OAG that the merger would “ensure the continuation of needed maternity services in Troy.”

In June 2023, St. Peter’s Health Partners announced the decision to close Burdett and consolidate its maternity services at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. In September 2023, Attorney General James and senior OAG officials held a hearing on the potential closure of the Burdett Birth Center and what it would mean for families and residents throughout the Capital Region. Dozens of local community members, public officials, medical professionals, and advocates submitted testimony and testified. Written testimony was also provided by St. Peter’s Health Partners ahead of the hearing. At the hearing and afterwards, Attorney General James made it clear that keeping the Burdett Birth Center open was a top priority, and that her office would investigate the planned closure under New York charities laws. Since that time, OAG has conducted an investigation of the impact of the planned closing and the justifications articulated by St. Peter’s Health Partners for its decision.