Nurses to Hold Speak-Out to Save Maternal Health Services at North Star / Claxton-Hepburn
**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 AT 4:45 PM**
Contact: Joseph Celestin | press@nysna.org | 518-776-8337
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
NURSES TO HOLD SPEAK-OUT TO SAVE MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES AT NORTH STAR / CLAXTON-HEPBURN
NYSNA Nurses Demand North Star Stop Proposed Closure of Essential Health Services
North Country Nurses and Allies to Speak Out Before Public Hearing
Ogdensburg, N.Y.– On Wednesday, July 29, NYSNA nurses will hold a speak-out to demand that North Star Health Alliance cancel the proposed closure of maternal health services at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Campus. As the only birthing center within 30 miles of Ogdensburg, the maternity unit is a critical resource for St. Lawrence County and the North Country overall. Closing the unit would force patients to travel far distances to give birth and receive maternal care, even in emergency situations. The closest hospitals are ill-equipped to handle an influx of new patients.
NYSNA nurses, advocates and elected officials will speak about the devastating impact the closure could have on birthing people, parents, children, and patients across the North Country. They will then attend the public hearing where community members will have the opportunity to comment and raise questions about North Star’s plans for Claxton-Hepburn.
WHO: NYSNA nurses from North Star/ Claxton-Hepburn, North Star/ Carthage, Canton-Potsdam Hospital and Samaritan Medical Center; and labor allies, advocates, and elected officials, including Ogdensburg Mayor Michael Tooley, St. Lawrence County Legislator Rita Curran, Northeast Central Labor Council and Planned Parenthood.
WHAT: Speak-Out to Save Maternal Health Services at North Star/ Claxton-Hepburn
WHEN: Wednesday, July 29 at 4:45 p.m.
WHERE: In front of Ogdensburg Free Academy Auditorium, 1100 State St, Ogdensburg, NY 13669
On July 14, North Star announced a plan to close the maternal health unit at Claxton-Hepburn. North Star made this announcement despite receiving stabilization funds from the New York State Department of Health (DOH) in March that were intended to preserve staff and services at the hospital.
Claxton-Hepburn’s maternity unit is the only birthing center within 30 miles of Ogdensburg. A closure would have dire consequences for more than 118,000 New Yorkers who live within an hour of the hospital. About 22% of St Lawrence Households are experiencing poverty and roughly 28% have limited transportation resources. If the unit closes, patients will have to travel far distances to give birth and receive maternal care, even in emergency situations. Pregnant people who travel more than one hour for care may experience up to 7 times more stress during pregnancy.
Amber Palmer, a nurse in Claxton-Hepburn's maternal health unit, said: “Many of our patients don’t have transportation to get to us, let alone 45 minutes or more away. If someone needs emergency care, it’s possible that a mom or baby won’t survive a 45 minute ride. We could be putting patients in danger if our unit closes.”
North Country hospitals have already reduced maternity beds by 13% over the last decade; three hospitals reduced beds and four closed maternity units altogether. NYSNA nurses and advocates emphasized that more closures would devastate the health of local communities.
Snow Harper-Moulton, a nurse in Claxton-Hepburn's maternal health unit, said: “I worked in the maternal health unit that closed at Massena Hospital, so I know first-hand that when these services are cut, they generally don’t come back. And I see this as part of a disturbing trend of the North Country losing access to care, and maternal healthcare being cut across the US."
According to public SPARCS data, between 2022 and 2024, Claxton-Hepburn saw dozens of patients who experienced early or threatened labor, hypertension, diabetes, and/or complications during pregnancy or birth. Regular and frequent pre-natal care is recommended to address high-risk pregnancies and reduce maternal health disparities. Amidst a national maternal mortality crisis, North Star seems to be intent on prioritizing profit over pregnant people and children.
The closest hospitals to Claxton-Hepburn are Canton-Potsdam and Samaritan, both more than a 40-minute drive away in good weather.
Aaron O’Neill, a nurse in Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s maternal health unit, said: “Canton-Potsdam's maternal health unit is already over capacity. After delivery, patients are doubled up in rooms. If Claxton closes, will we need to triple-up our rooms? Where will we get the extra beds for three mothers and three babies to one room? We do not have space to absorb more patients. If North Star’s plan for this closure is to send Claxton-Hepburn's pregnant patients over to Canton-Potsdam Hospital, that will have devastating consequences on those new patients and our current patients.”
Earlier this year, NYSNA released a report, “Protecting Rural Patients and Communities: Access to Care and Hospital Consolidation in the North Country,” sounding the alarm on the crisis of care in New York’s rural North Country. The report details how decades of systemic disinvestment, hospital consolidation, service reductions and bed closures have eroded access to care in the region and recommends several steps to protect access to quality care.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said: “North Star needs to cut the waste and mismanagement and save essential healthcare services at Claxton-Hepburn. NYSNA nurses care for the North Country, and we will fight to keep maternal health services open like lives depend on it—because they do.”
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The New York State Nurses Association represents approximately 45,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.