Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, N.Y., part of Burlington-based University of Vermont Health Network, has restructured 12 departments, affecting 469 employees, the hospital confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.
Spokesperson Chris Blake said the restructuring began in July to address financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and teams are now redesigning workflows.
The restructuring affects 69 employees who moved to a lower job category, meaning fewer scheduled hours, and 22 who moved to a higher job category. Forty employees also changed departments, and one person was laid off, the hospital said. As of Oct. 5, 90 positions were open, not including 17 additional management positions that were vacant and are not being filled.
"CVPH has struggled financially for some time, and the pandemic devastated our already shaky financial picture. The need to make meaningful change was clear. We could continue down the path and slowly lose the very essence of our organization or commit to embrace the massive change necessary to paint a new picture of our future," Michelle LeBeau, president of Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone, N.Y., and Champlain Valley hospital said in a news release
"In this new picture, we're providing the care our patients need at the right time and in the right place. It's done with the compassion and expertise our team is known for. We're working together to provide care that is patient- and family-focused, efficient, cost effective and laced with the first-class customer service," she said.
But the New York State Nurses Association accused the hospital of failing to negotiate effects of the restructure, per the union contract, and is going through a grievance process, according to The Press-Republican. Dylan Smith, an organizer with 1199 Service Employees International Union expressed similar sentiments, telling the publication that union members did not sufficiently get to weigh in on the redesign plan. He also expects the union to file grievances.
The hospital has about 2,300 employees.
Read the full Press-Republican report here.