Centennial, Colo.-based Centura Health is reducing its workforce by about 1 percent across Colorado and western Kansas, the health system confirmed in a statement shared with Becker's Sept. 17.
The 19-hospital health system, which has 21,000 employees total, said the decision comes amid economic challenges facing the U.S. and healthcare.
"We are not immune to the economic challenges facing our country and our industry, including external factors such as inflation, supply chain disruptions and a potential recession as well as those more specific to the healthcare industry including labor shortages, changing utilization and patients who are likely still delaying care due to the pandemic. In short, volumes are down, and expenses are up," Centura said.
The health system also said it is "taking meaningful steps to improve efficiencies and reduce costs without reducing clinical care. We have worked hard to avoid associate reductions; yet, like many health systems across the country, reductions have become unavoidable."
The organization is trying to find alternate positions for those affected by the job cuts, and eligible workers who are not transitioned to another position within Centura will receive severance pay and other job support, including access to career transition services, Centura said.
"We will continue to recruit and hire clinical caregivers, including nurses in direct patient care roles, to deliver on our mission and vision of every community, every neighborhood and every life — whole and healthy," the health system said.