Citing a need to ensure future success, Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, N.Y., will lay off 11 nurses, according to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
A majority of the affected nurses work in the hospital's surgical department, according to the report. The nurses were notified April 7.
"The morale of the hospital right now is in like disbelief," Maura Rooney, RN, who has been a nurse at the hospital for 15 years, told the Journal News. "And so low, because we did everything that we could possibly do for our community and the hospital. We were heroes. Now they're laying us off."
Mark Hirko, MD, president of Putnam Hospital Center, said the layoffs were necessary as it continues to see low patient volumes as the pandemic winds down.
"In order to ensure our organization's future success and continued mission, regrettably, we have no other recourse but to implement position reductions in some departments," Dr. Hirko said. "The decision to do this is difficult, but we will always look to offer affected employees placement within the Nuvance Health system as best we can accommodate. As always, we strive to minimize any impact and quality on patient bedside care."
Putnam Hospital Center is owned by Danbury, Conn.-based Nuvance Health.
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