Advancements in care were highlighted as part of WTEN’s report on the Burdett Birth Center, an affiliate of St. Peter’s Health Partners. Burdett was slated to close in 2024 until a grant from New York state was announced to help fund the center through 2029.
Benjamin Pinzer, director of maternity and newborn services; Maureen Murphy, licensed midwife with Capital Region Midwifery; and Sheilah McCart, manager of community engagement were all interviewed for the report. Pinzer and McCart discussed additions including a new doula program and transportation specialist, and how Burdett is seeing steady growth.
From the story:
Benjamin Pinzer, the Director of Maternity and Newborn Services, points to encouraging numbers with 768 babies being delivered at Burdett in 2024 alone.
Pinzer explained, “The success measure I would say are off the charts. Our C-section rates are the lowest around.”
The most recent numbers show Burdett’s C-Section rate is just under 20%, which is about 10% lower than the national (32.4%) and state (33.9%) average. The pre-term birth rate is 50% lower than the national average.
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“Transportation has long been a barrier for people to access healthcare. It is a big barrier here especially in the capital district. We don’t have a lot of walkable communities. Public transportation is difficult to access if you are talking about weather or having other children with you.”
The collaborative model has driven their comprehensive care as transportation needs are identified to ensure better access to appointments. This year, the birth center is on track to beat its 2024 delivery numbers.
Murphy highlighted the practice’s new prenatal program that is a first-of-its-kind program in the Capital Region:
Centering Pregnancy was introduced in October and is the only one-of-its-kind program in the Capital Region, providing extended time with providers through a group setting. Maureen Murphy, a licensed midwife, said, “The idea is everyone is on an equal footing in the room. Sometimes there are biases and that is unfortunate in the health care system. In this particular setting everyone is equal.”
The appointments include women due to deliver around the same time, creating a community of support. “One on one typically we don’t have as much time and that really is the key to it all,” said Murphy. “We don’t have as much time — we have to get to the next person. We are having the same conversation with many, many patients and sometimes we might forget to bring something up for one patient,” Murphy shared.
For Tianna Morales, who is expecting her fourth baby, Centering has been a new experience. “I think it’s comforting. I’m a stay-at-home mom, so being able to get together with other moms and realize that we have a lot of the same symptoms, we are all going through them together,” she said.
Murphy added, “It really creates a lot of support and community for everyone and we know what studies have shown is that people who are in a group, relaxed setting with each other tend to remember those learning objectives and changed behavior.”
Click here to watch WTEN’s report.
