The Burdett Birth Center has been saved from closure, thanks to a $5 million state grant.

St. Peter’s Health Partners announced on Monday that it was withdrawing its plan to close the facility and shift delivery services to nearby St. Peter’s Hospital.

Assemblyman John McDonald, D-Cohoes, obtained a grant for $1 million per year for the next five years to support maternity services in Rensselaer County.

St. Peter’s Health Partners announced last June that it would close Burdett, which is the only labor and delivery unit in Rensselaer County, because of financial and staffing issues. A report commissioned by St. Peter’s showed that the facility ran at a $2.3 million loss in 2022. Local leaders and advocates had fought to stop the closure.

Dr. Steven Hanks, president of CEO of Trinity Health New York, said he is grateful for the support from the Legislature and from advocates for the center.

“Since we’ve announced our closure, the passion of this community for what we do here at Burdett has rung through very loud and very clear,” he said at a news conference.

The grant seeks to identify opportunities to expand midwifery services and help retain staff, which is an issue throughout the country, McDonald said.

“The rising popularity of midwifery birth centers across the country is one that indicates that the Burdett model is one that can and should be replicated throughout the state,” McDonald said.

Health officials cautioned that this is only the first step to putting Burdett on a more sustainable future.

Burdett is facing some of the same challenges that maternity centers across the country are – declining birth rates and more higher-risk deliveries as women are waiting until they are older to have children, Hanks said.

“So please have babies, and have them at Burdett Birth Center,” said Hanks, as the crowd smiled.