McLaren St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, will lay off 743 workers when it permanently closes this spring, according to a notice filed with state regulators.
The 300-bed hospital anticipates May 8 as its last day of accepting new patients, with employees notified of separations starting March 15 through May 15 "as operations wind down with low census and particular hospital functions no longer being needed," according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification.
Of the 743 layoffs, 239 (32 percent) are registered nurses. Other roles with more than a dozen workers affected include physical therapists, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and pharmacy support staff, and nursing assistants. The hospital's COO is also affected, and s spokesperson for McLaren Health Care told Becker's other senior leadership roles are also affected by the layoffs. No physician roles were listed among the affected in the notice.
When it announced the closure plans March 3, Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care said it was working with Cincinnati-based Mercy Health to finalize an asset purchase agreement in which Mercy would acquire McLaren St. Luke's facilities, land and physical assets. As part of that agreement, McLaren said Mercy expected to extend employment to a "significant percentage of McLaren St. Luke's physicians and employees."
The WARN notice does not specify how many McLaren employees would transition to Mercy. A spokesperson for Mercy shared the following statement with Becker's:
"Mercy Health has held several career connection events tailored at offering a smooth transition to McLaren St. Luke’s Hospital employees and is pleased to announce that more 400 McLaren St. Luke’s staff members have signed commitment letters indicating that they will join the Mercy Health ministry. To date, 300 staff members, including 106 registered nurses, have secured positions at Mercy Health. Additionally, offers are expected to be finalized for approximately 100 more associates before the end of the month. They will start work for Mercy Health as McLaren proceeds through the closing process and releases them from their employment at McLaren St. Luke's.
"During this transition process, Mercy Health is pleased to be offering competitive hiring packages for all associates considering employment with Mercy Health. Mercy Health has seven hospitals in the region, including Mercy Health – Perrysburg Hospital located less than five miles from the current McLaren St. Luke's location and the closest full-service hospital to the Maumee community.
"McLaren Health Care and Mercy Health remain in the process of finalizing an asset purchase agreement in which Mercy Health will acquire the McLaren St. Luke’s facilities, land and physical assets, pending final due diligence. As this transition continues, Mercy Health is committed to engaging the community to develop a thoughtful go-forward plan."