Troy residents successfully fight to save hospital birthing center

Residents and officials in Troy, New York, successfully campaigned to prevent the closure of the birthing center at Samaritan Hospital. The facility is owned by Trinity Health, a large Catholic health system.

The movement to save the maternity unit brought together a diverse coalition, including bipartisan elected officials, patient advocates, midwives, and community leaders. Notably, the campaign united groups with differing viewpoints, such as Planned Parenthood and the Catholic diocese, to protect local access to critical medical services.

The struggle in Troy reflects a broader national trend where hundreds of maternity units have closed across the United States since 2010 due to hospital consolidations and shrinking urban populations.