Cody (Wyo.) Regional Health has approved back pay for providers and senior staff whose pay was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Cody Enterprise.
Dick Smith, human resources officer, told the Enterprise that department directors and senior leadership at the hospital also received back pay for their temporary pay cuts. CEO Doug McMillan said he will not take back pay, according to the newspaper.
The health system made the decision about back pay after examining its finances. Like many health systems across the U.S., Cody Regional Health took steps to offset financial losses due to the pandemic, which included pay cuts. The health system also furloughed some staff.
Separate from those measures, Cody Regional Health laid off five people in the patient finance department July 22 when the back pay was announced, the Enterprise reports. Mr. Smith emphasized that the decisions were unrelated and that the layoffs were not a reflection of employee performance.