Several hospitals are trimming their workforces due to financial and operational challenges, and some are offering affected workers new positions.
1. West Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health closed Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville, Pa., on Jan. 31. As a result of the closure, 534 employees will be laid off effective Feb. 7, according to a notice filed with state regulators.
2. Pensacola, Fla.-based Baptist Health Care said in a notice filed with state regulators that it is eliminating 233 jobs in February when it outsources various services to Wayne, Pa.-based Compass One Healthcare. Affected employees were offered positions with Compass One at the same or higher wages, according to the Nov. 22 layoff notice.
3. Galesburg (Ill.) Cottage Hospital closed Jan. 8, and its workers were informed via email that their employment had been terminated. The hospital did not disclose the number of employees affected. Galesburg Cottage Hospital CEO Sanjay Sharma, PhD, attributed the closure to CMS' decision to terminate the facility's Medicare contract. He called the closure temporary but didn't offer a timeline for the hospital's reopening.
4. Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City is laying off 56 workers in February, but affected employees will be offered employment with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, according to a notice filed with the state Nov. 8. The layoffs are due to the integration of electronic medical records systems at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, according to the notice.
5. Community Hospital Long Beach (Calif.) plans to lay off 328 employees early this year, according to a notice filed with state regulators. The hospital said the layoffs would begin Feb. 1 and may come in stages. The layoffs are a result of Community Hospital Long Beach ending acute care and closing its emergency department.
6. Watsonville (Calif.) Community Hospital said in a notice filed with state regulators that it would lay off 677 workers in late January. The hospital entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December and funds made available through the bankruptcy process may allow the hospital to delay the layoffs.
7. Pittsfield, Mass.-based Berkshire Health Systems filed a notice with state regulators indicating 94 employees will be laid off in February as part of a structural reorganization between it and Berkshire Healthcare Systems. Affected employees will be offered the opportunity to continue their current roles under an employment arrangement with a Berkshire Healthcare Systems entity, effective Feb. 1, a health system spokesperson informed Becker's Hospital Review.