PROPOSED CLOSURE OF BURDETT BIRTH CENTER:
FACT VS. FICTION
Following the announcement of the proposed closure of the maternity unit at Samaritan Hospital, there has been a lot of discussion in the community, with concerns expressed about the continuity of prenatal care, access to delivery services, and St. Peter’s Health Partners’ presence in Troy. The anxiety is understandable and we want to assure our community that ALL our patients will continue to receive care and we will be with them through every step of their birthing journey – including transportation planning and midwifery-assisted delivery.
St. Peter’s Health Partners observed the proceedings in the Attorney General’s hearing on the closure of Samaritan Hospital’s maternity services (Burdett Birth Center), held on Sept. 18, 2023. We care very deeply about the public viewpoints that were presented at the hearing, and we want to address some of the false and misleading information that was presented so the community and our patients are appropriately informed and reassured of our commitment to compassionate care:
FICTION: If Burdett closes, pregnant persons won't have access to the midwifery model of care.
FACT: We are moving the midwifery model to St. Peter’s Hospital. Birthing individuals will continue to have access to all the midwife services they have now. Doulas will be welcome to attend deliveries at St. Peter’s Hospital. Click here to learn more about birthing services at St. Peter’s Hospital.
FICTION: If Burdett closes, pregnant persons will not be able to obtain high-quality delivery services and will not have a say in their birthing experience at St. Peter’s Hospital or other area hospitals.
FACT: The same obstetricians and midwives who currently serve Burdett will be performing deliveries at St. Peter’s Hospital, and they are the ones most responsible for ensuring quality and patient choice in the birthing experience.
FACT: St. Peter’s Hospital is frequently named a “Best Hospital” by Albany Times Union readers and U.S. News & World Report, and its maternity services are a big reason for that recognition. More babies were safely and happily delivered at St. Peter’s Hospital last year than any other hospital in the area.
FACT: While we certainly respect and appreciate the expressions of patients in support of Burdett remaining open, we are deeply disappointed by the comments made at the hearing by some health care professionals and public policy experts, suggesting that delivery services at St. Peter’s Hospital and other area facilities are of lesser quality than Samaritan. Such comments are an unfortunate disservice to the amazing people who provide outstanding care in the St. Peter’s Women’s and Children’s Services department, as well as those who serve in the labor and delivery units of other excellent facilities in the area.
FICTION: Fewer C-sections are performed at Burdett solely because of the midwife model.
FACT: The following factors, in addition to the midwifery model of care, are the primary reasons for the low number of C-sections performed at Burdett:
- Burdett is a Level 1 facility.
- Level 1 facilities do not have 24/7 coverage by a physically present OB physician, anesthesiologist, or neonatal/pediatric provider. Therefore, there are fewer occasions to perform C-sections.
- Level 1 facilities should provide care for expectant persons equal to or greater than 35 weeks pregnant, so patients in labor who have been pregnant less than 35 weeks should birth their baby in a higher-level care facility that has a NICU to minimize separation from their preterm infant, who is likely to require a higher level of care (i.e. NICU).
- Midwife practitioners typically care for low-to moderate-risk OB patients. These patients are less likely to need a C-section.
- Currently the availability of OR time for C-sections at Samaritan Hospital is limited by anesthesia availability, so providers and patients frequently elect to schedule elsewhere.
- Patients attempting a Trial of Labor after C-section (TOLAC) to achieve a vaginal birth after C-section (VBAC) are scheduled at St. Peter’s Hospital for this planned birth process. Due to the inherent risk, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have outlined safety precautions to ensure parental and infant well-being. The safety precautions include the physical presence – in the hospital – of 24/7 anesthesia and obstetric care. This is NOT available at Burdett.
FACT: Pregnant persons with higher risk pregnancies are generally steered by their provider to hospitals having NICUs and other higher-level resources. This is not available at Burdett.
FICTION: In recent months, patients in labor have experienced long wait times in the emergency department at St. Peter’s Hospital. Closing Burdett will increase these wait times for laboring patients.
FACT: When a patient in labor comes to Samaritan Hospital or St. Peter’s Hospital, whether by EMS transport, private transportation or other means, that patient is immediately sent to the labor and delivery department for care. The patient does NOT stay or wait in the emergency department. That process will continue at St. Peter’s Hospital following the closure of Samaritan’s maternity services.
FACT: If medically appropriate, any patients in labor who come directly to Samaritan Hospital after its maternity services have closed will immediately be transferred to St. Peter’s Hospital or other appropriate facility’s labor and delivery department for care. If transfer is not medically appropriate, Samaritan Hospital’s emergency department will manage the delivery.
FICTION: The closure of Burdett breaks a promise that SPHP made in 2020 when it applied for approval to merge Burdett back into Samaritan Hospital.
FACT: Burdett would have involuntarily closed in 2020 had Samaritan Hospital taken no action. Burdett was insolvent.
FACT: In 2019-2020, the New York State Department of Health was poised to deny Burdett’s application to renew its license because Burdett was failing financially.
FACT: In 2020, Samaritan Hospital sought the merger of Burdett back into Samaritan in order to preserve maternity services in Troy. Samaritan Hospital offered a lifeline – and only a lifeline – when no one else was willing to do so. Samaritan Hospital did not promise to keep maternity services open indefinitely and regardless of circumstances, and any suggestion that it made such a promise is disingenuous.
FICTION: Samaritan Hospital’s closure of Burdett is a first step toward closing the entire hospital.
FACT: We are closing delivery services at Samaritan Hospital in order to help us preserve other services in Troy and throughout the Capital Region.
FACT: SPHP just completed $99 million in renovations to Samaritan in 2018, leaving it with a high-tech emergency department, and intensive care, progressive care and inpatient bed units that are among the best in class in the entire Capital Region. We are proud of Samaritan Hospital and the expert care provided there.
FACT: We have absolutely no intention to close the hospital.
FICTION: SPHP gave no advance notice of its intent to close maternity services at Samaritan Hospital, and it completely blindsided the community.
FACT: There was always going to be a first time for people to hear about the intended closure. We communicated our intent to various stakeholders on June 13, 2023, consistent with instructions given to us by the New York State Department of Health, more than two months ahead of the planned submission of the closure plan to the Department. This was the advance notice.
FICTION: The health equity impact assessment commissioned by SPHP did not adequately reach out into the community, and the company it hired to perform the assessment cannot be trusted.
FACT: SPHP was not legally required to conduct a health equity impact assessment. Regardless, it did so in order to address concerns expressed by various members of the community.
FACT: The survey was accessible for more than three weeks. We engaged community leaders to assist with distribution of surveys to their constituents.
FACT: The company we engaged to perform the assessment is an expert in health and racial equity consulting and one of the first national consulting firms devoted to the advancement of social and racial justice, health equity, and belonging. The company meets all requirements for independence under the law and proposed regulations. It is committed to independence and objectivity for the purposes of this assessment.
FACT: More than 750 participants engaged in individual and group interviews and responded to survey questions to share their insight and perspectives.
FACT: People should wait to read the assessment before passing judgment.
FICTION: Consolidating delivery services into St. Peter’s Hospital will create a maternity care desert.
FACT: Closing Burdett will not create a maternity care desert. Labor and delivery services are available at St. Peter’s Hospital (23 minutes away), Bellevue Woman’s Center (29 minutes away) and Albany Medical Center (18 minutes away). All of these hospitals are within a 14-mile radius of Troy, NY.
FICTION: This is really all about making profits.
FACT: “Break-even” means no money to fix crumbling infrastructure, no money to replace or fix obsolete equipment, and no money for acquiring new and cutting-edge technologies and facilities. We must have a financial margin on our services in order to support our Mission in service to the community.
FACT: This is not about profit. It is about preserving our ability to carry out our Mission for the long-term for the entire Capital Region. While we do not want to close Burdett, after much reflection and examination on how we can best serve the community, we need to close Burdett.