06/03/2026
Lois Uttley, a Health advocacy and policy consultant for the Community Voices for Health System Accountability, spoke at the Save CMH public town-hall on May 27th. Her speech was a powerhouse.
“Good evening! I represent a statewide network of health and human services organizations and activists who are fed up with seeing big health systems take over community hospitals and then downsize or close them. We are dedicated to holding New York’s hospitals accountable for serving the people of their communities. These hospitals are all non- profit tax-exempt organizations that must fulfill their charitable missions of providing health care for the people who need it.
I am here to say we are with you in your fight against the proposed radical downsizing of Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Earlier this month, our statewide network sent a letter to state Health Commissioner James McDonald and his key staff. We made some of the same points you have heard here tonight:
• Slashing the number of hospital beds to just 25 would be going too far. That would leave both Columbia and Greene counties with a dangerously low level of nearby hospital capacity.
• Being forced to travel from here to Albany Medical Center or another hospital is going to be very difficult for many people, especially in the winter months. I’m thinking especially of those families with no cars and no money to pay Uber. Also disproportionately harmed will be people with disabilities, frail elderly people and immigrants whose first language is not English.
• The other hospitals where you would be expected to go – such as Albany Medical Center – are often overcrowded and with long waits in the ER. After traveling for 50 minutes or an hour, you might wait many more hours to get care.
We urged the state Health Commissioner to reject this radical downsizing plan and instead work with Columbia Memorial Hospital to find a solution that would preserve more hospital beds here in Hudson, while still addressing the financial challenges facing the hospital.
You are not the first community to face this situation. All across the state and nation, big health systems have acquired community hospitals, making promises about improving the quality of care, strengthening hospital finances and preserving the hospital. That’s just what Albany Medical Center said when it took over Columbia Memorial Hospital 10 years ago. But now, just like other big health systems across the country, Albany Med is saying the only way you can still have a hospital is to drastically reduce the number of beds.
Communities like yours are fighting back. And sometimes, they are winning! Two years ago, I worked with a community coalition in Troy, NY, just north of here to save the Burdett Birth Center at Samaritan Hospital. Its parent system, St. Peter’s Health Partners, said Burdett had to close because it was losing too much money. Pregnant women, they said, could just travel over to Albany to St. Peter’s Hospital. (That must sound familiar to you, since you lost the maternity unit at Columbia Memorial, too)
The Save Burdett Birth Center Coalition refused to accept what the health system said. Instead, they did the first-ever community-led health equity impact assessment in New York, just like the one you’ve heard about here tonight. They demonstrated how much harm would come to pregnant women, especially those who are Black, Latina, low income, relying on Medicaid insurance or having no insurance, and having no cars. They pointed out that any plan the hospital developed could not guarantee transportation for everyone who needed it in a timely manner. The hospital’s promises were bound to be broken. The coalition tabled at farmer’s markets and used social media to reach out to people. They won the support of city and state lawmakers.
Today, the Burdett Birth Center is still open, because that community coalition fought hard and ultimately, the hospital executives listened. I hope to be able to say that about Columbia Memorial Hospital at this time next year. I and my colleagues in our statewide network stand ready to assist you in your fight. You deserve a hospital that meets your needs right here in Hudson, not one that forces you to travel an hour away for care!”
