Citing the financial headwinds from the COVID-19 pandemic, Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Mercy Medical Center will place more than 200 employees on furlough or required leave, according to The Gazette.
The Iowa hospital will furlough 48 employees, including 30 who will be on partial furlough. In addition, 157 staff members and those in leadership roles will be required to take paid or unpaid leave. It is unclear how many of the 157 staff members will be on unpaid leave.
The workforce decision will affect 6 percent of the hospital's employees.
Mercy Medical Center President and CEO Tim Charles said the workforce plan is expected to be temporary.
"This is an exceedingly difficult decision,” Mr. Charles told The Gazette. "This is not what we had envisioned for this year but, unfortunately, it's something we and so many hospitals are facing right now."