OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) – Residents, nurses and elected officials gathered Wednesday night at Ogdensburg Free Academy for a second public hearing on North Star Health Alliance’s bankruptcy restructuring plan, which includes proposals to close the labor and delivery unit at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and eliminate nuclear medicine and primary care services at four other locations throughout St. Lawrence County.
Rally precedes hearing
The event began with a rally outside the building. Members of the New York State Nurses Association and Claxton-Hepburn employees protested the proposed cuts before filing into the auditorium for the formal hearing hosted by North Star officials.
“If one baby or mother dies because they can’t get to a facility in time, are their lives worth 3 million dollars? That’s the question. How much is one life worth?” said Harper-Moulton, one of the rally speakers.
Vernon “Sam” Burns, president of the Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence County Central Trades and Labor Council, placed blame on leadership rather than staff.
“The financial challenges attributed to North Star reflect managerial decisions and governance lapses, rather than the efforts of dedicated, union caregivers,” Burns said.
North Star officials cite financial losses, declining birth rates
North Star Health Alliance interim CEO Andrew Manzer defended the proposed closures, saying the decisions were driven by financial losses and declining birth rates in the region.
“It’s not just a financial number. A financial number is an outcome. This is the reality that we’re having to face to save this organization, and to keep as much here from a healthcare standpoint as we possibly can,” Manzer said.
Carthage Area Hospital COO Jerian O’Dell presented data supporting the proposal.
“2025 illustrates where we are today. We average fewer than 10 deliveries per month and the service operated at nearly a 3 million dollar loss,” O’Dell said.
Community members and nurses respond
Surgical nurse Jessica Thornton said the financial justification was insufficient.
“When you close this unit, you’re not consolidating services, you’re actively transforming preventable, treatable complications into maternal and neonatal deaths,” Thornton said.
Ogdensburg resident Claire Murdock, a former Claxton-Hepburn employee, urged officials to preserve the hospital’s maternity services.
“For the health, safety and the lives of our pregnant women and their babies in our community, I implore you to do whatever is necessary to maintain the excellent care offered at Claxton-Hepburn,” Murdock said.
Lawmakers call on state to intervene
State Sen. Mark Walczyk said the community’s need for maternity care would not diminish regardless of the financial picture.
“In Ogdensburg, people aren’t going to stop getting pregnant and having babies. It’s not going to stop. You may say the numbers aren’t going to work financially. That’s a piece where we need a partner to figure out how to make it work and sustain,” Walczyk said.
Assemblyman Scott Gray of the 116th Assembly District directed his remarks at state regulators.
“Let me be direct to the Department of Health. I’m not asking for conditions. I’m asking you to deny this closure,” Gray said.
North Star Health Alliance must receive approval from the New York State Department of Health before any of the proposed cuts can take effect.
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