Several hospitals are trimming their workforces due to financial and operational challenges, and some are offering affected workers new positions.
1. Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., part of Trinity Health of New England, is trimming jobs. The hospital laid off 12 of its 380 unionized nurses, the Massachusetts Nurses Association told Western Mass News in May. Translators and ancillary staff were also affected by the cuts. Trinity Health of New England, which declined to provide the number of workers affected by the layoffs, attributed the cuts to national disruption in the healthcare industry. In addition to the layoffs, Trinity Health of New England is also eliminating some positions that are currently vacant.
2. Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg, N.Y., and Carthage (N.Y.) Area Hospital both laid off 4 percent of their workforce on May 13. Richard Duvall, who serves as president and CEO of both hospitals, said the layoffs occured because the hospitals are feeling the financial effects of inflation and a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
3. Citing skyrocketing expenses and flat revenue, St. Charles Health System in Bend, Ore., will cut 181 positions, according to a May 18 announcement. The workforce reduction includes laying off 105 caregivers and eliminating 76 vacant positions. The layoffs affect mainly nonclinical workers, including many leadership positions. The four-hospital health system said it took steps to address its financial challenges, but it ended the month of April with a $21.8 million loss.
4. MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, Mass., eliminated live interpretation services in April and laid off an undisclosed number of employees, the MetroWest Daily News reported. Hospital leaders said a "minimal number of positions" were eliminated when the hospital ended the services.
5. Memorial Hospital at Gulfport (Miss.) laid off its chief medical officer and vice president of system development in April. Regarding the layoffs, Memorial Hospital at Gulfport CEO Kent Nicaud said the hospital is facing financial challenges, such as increased labor costs, and is aiming to return to an organizational structure it had three or four years ago.
6. Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica's health plan, Paramount, is laying off about 200 employees in July after losing a Medicaid contract. Anthem acquired Paramount's Medicaid contract, and ProMedica and Anthem have been working to identify open roles for employees affected by the layoffs.
7. Greenwood (Miss.) Leflore Hospital announced in May that it will lay off 30 employees to help offset losses. The layoffs, which include an undisclosed number of physicians, affect less than 4 percent of the hospital's workforce. Many of the affected employees were notified May 17.
8. St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., laid off 49 employees, including 21 registered nurses, when it stopped providing mental health services in April, according to a notice filed with state regulators.
9. Coos Bay, Ore.-based Bay Area Hospital will close its inpatient behavioral health unit and lay off 56 temporary employees in response to financial challenges from COVID-19 and high labor costs. The cancellation of the workers' contracts and the closure of the unit will take place by the end of June, according to a May 25 news release.
10. MarinHealth Medical Center laid off 104 revenue cycle and supply chain employees in April after entering into a contract with Optum to provide those services, according to a notice filed with state regulators in February. Greenbrae, Calif.-based MarinHealth said that as a result of the contract with Optum, all non-contractual revenue cycle and supply chain employees were terminated from employment with the hospital on April 9. Optum offered jobs to most workers affected by the layoffs. Employees who accepted an offer began employment with Optum on the first work day following separation from MarinHealth, a spokesperson for the hospital told Becker's Hospital Review.