After laying off about 1,000 employees in August, Houston-based Texas Children's Hospital has rehired some of its rehabilitation therapists, the Houston Chronicle reported Sept. 17.
The rehirings come after several families publicly shared the disruptions to their child's treatment that were occurring because of the layoffs, the Chronicle reported. It caused appointment cancellations for some, including those whose treatment plan called for multiple therapy sessions a week.
An Aug. 26 internal letter from Texas Children's CEO Mark Wallace addressed the physical, speech and occupational therapists, the outlet reported.
Texas Children's did not confirm how many rehabilitation therapists were laid off and rehired.
"With more than 400 talented therapists across the Texas Children’s enterprise, we have always and continue to prioritize the quality and service our patients and families receive," a hospital spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker's. "As we made great progress in rescheduling therapy appointments, we also made the thoughtful decision to restore certain roles. As a result, we offered some of our therapists the opportunity to return to Texas Children’s to continue delivering the high-quality care our patients expect and deserve."
The layoffs occurred after a $200 million operating income loss in the first six months of the fiscal year, Linda Aldred, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, previously told the Chronicle.