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Medical Center announces cuts; Unions join in protest

University Medical Center officials announced Thursday that 541 of its employees would receive reduction-in-force notifications this year. Many of these employees will have the opportunity to fill about 200 open positions at the Medical Center, and another 30 to 50 University positions. In total, Medical Center officials expect to lay off fewer than 200 employees.

The cuts are being made in response to the changing health care market, which demands cost-efficient health care.

"(The University), almost like every other health institution, is assessing societal demand to reduce costs of health care," said Associate Medical School Dean Lloyd Jacobs. "This is an ongoing attempt to respond to societal needs, including cost-efficient care." Jacobs supervised the committee which approved departmental plans for the cuts in its respective workforce.

About 146 full-time-equivalent nursing positions, 130 service-maintenance and 116 professional full-time-equivalent positions will be eliminated. It is uncertain how many of these employees will be laid off or placed elsewhere in the hospital.

Jacobs emphasized that the quality of health care would not be affected by the shifts in the staff. "We are committed to diversity in the workforce, patient care and quality," Jacobs said. "I don't think this is a sad time in health care. We are learning to do things better." "We want to be leaner, not meaner," he said.

Cheryl Johnson, Professional Nurses Council chairperson, called Jacobs naive for neglecting how the quality of care would be affected by the cuts. "We're very unhappy with (the cuts) because we don't think they've been made on any input other than bottom line," Johnson said. "They're not looking at quality." Medical Center officials said they plan to provide career counseling and career transition services for those who have either lost their jobs or who will be transferred to another department in the hospital. A job fair is scheduled to be held at the Medical Center on June 18. Laurita Thomas, Medical Center director of human resources, said employees first received reduction-in-force notifications last Wednesday. She said the vast majority of the notices would be given out in the next couple of weeks. In addition to staff reductions, Jacobs also announced that a 32 bed unit in an acute medical surgical unit, and a 10-bed unit in the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, would be closed.

"This is hard work, but it is also exciting to be responsive to do what society asked of us," Jacobs said. Jacobs said the medical center would proceed with its 3-year plan to downsize because it still "has a ways to go."