Assemblyman Scott Bendett (R,C-Sand Lake) asserts the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) released by St. Peter’s Health Partners (SPHP) confirms what he and his fellow upstate residents have thought all along: closing the Burdett Birth Center would carry significant consequences and create challenges for families who have depended on the Burdett Birth Center for years. According to the assessment, transportation and access to care are the two major hurdles residents would face, and the search for tangible solutions continues.

“It’s frustrating the closure of the Burdett Birth Center is still on the table after all of these community concerns have been repeatedly raised,” said Bendett. “Residents agree that closing the Burdett Birth Center would create problems for expecting families. Our communities deserve reliable access to proper medical care, especially when it comes to proper birthing facilities. Should the Burdett Birth Center close, Rensselaer County residents would be without a nearby birth center. This creates a significant risk for inequitable medical treatment, birthing environments and aftercare given the distance and expenses associated with finding other birthing centers. Our community has raised its concerns and voiced its outrage—it’s time the idea of closing the Burdett Birth Center is put to rest.”