Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colo., has laid off about 100 people, or approximately 10 percent of its staff, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a hospital spokesperson confirmed to the Aspen Daily News.
The spokesperson also confirmed the hospital's executive team will take a 10 percent pay cut.
"As most of you are aware, this COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the healthcare world in extraordinary and unprecedented ways," hospital CEO Brian Murphy, MD, wrote in an internal memo obtained by the Daily News. "Like other hospitals, our income has been dramatically reduced and the future of healthcare reimbursement has changed significantly. We need you to know that we have very difficult financial decisions in the coming days and weeks ahead that we could not have foreseen only a couple of months ago."
The hospital was only able to pay for one month of employee salaries and benefits and is "pursuing every avenue to offset the losses from COVID-19," Dr. Murphy added in his email to staff.
The layoffs and salary reductions come as hospitals in Colorado and other areas of the country are seeing financial effects from suspending elective surgeries and other factors related to the pandemic.
Stacey Gavrell, executive director of the Valley View Foundation and chief community relations officer for Valley View Hospital, told the Daily News the hospital is projecting a $30 million to $45 million reduction in income overall for 2020 from COVID-19.
Read the full Daily News report here.