The proposed closure of the Burdett Birth Center, operated by St. Peter’s Health Partners, has left Capital Region Democratic state Assembly Member John McDonald “frustrated.”

In an interview with Capital Tonight, he argued there isn’t “just one solution” to help maternity services that are “under a lot of stress throughout the state,” and added he believes closure is not a good option in this case.

St. Peter’s Health Partners told Capital Tonight in a statement that “Like hospitals and birthing centers across the country, Burdett Birth Center has not been immune to critical health care challenges, hitting specialties like OB the hardest. The nationwide shortage of nursing has become a health crisis, compounding the situation. Hospitals across the country have had to make difficult decisions to provide necessary care in the face of difficulties to staff all health care services. Declining utilization and birth rates have compounded this. At Burdett Birth Center, the number of births has steadily declined over the past ten years. In 2013, 1,183 babies were born at Burdett, compared to 881 in 2022, and we’re on pace to finish below that this year.”

St. Peter’s will be holding a virtual public open house on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. at this link