MODESTO -- Memorial Medical Center filed a state-required notice on job cuts Friday, giving more clarity to the staff reductions at the Modesto hospital.
Memorial notified Stanislaus County officials that 114 employees would be laid off in January.
The affected positions include 14 registered nurses, 13 respiratory care therapists, 18 nursing assistants, 11 housekeepers, nine unit clerks, seven monitor clerks and six emergency room technicians.
Employees in 20 other job classifications also are losing their jobs, from cooks to patient support coordinators.
In California, certain employers are required to file Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications if they are laying off or relocating 50 or more employees.
Memorial said in an initial statement Thursday that 165 people were affected by the restructuring and that reduced hours and other employment opportunities without benefits were being offered to 75 percent of them.
Hospital spokesman Craig Baize clarified Friday that 51 employees were offered reduced hours, leaving 114 layoffs that needed to be reported under California's labor code. Baize said many of the 114 people losing their jobs Jan. 15 are being offered "per diem" employment without benefits.
Memorial officials said a decrease in patients and sharp decline in payments from insurers led to the staff reductions. The hospital is affiliated with Sacramento-based Sutter Health, which has medical offices and hospitals across Northern California.
Almost 6 percent of Memorial's 2,900 employees will be affected by the cuts announced Thursday. Other people who work in finance, purchasing, human resources and billing could see their jobs relocated to the Sacramento area as Sutter consolidates services.
Memorial is not the only hospital shedding staff in Stanislaus County. Two weeks ago, Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock laid off 24 employees, including 17 full-time and seven part-time positions. The hospital cited a low patient census and declining revenue.
Friday, Kaiser Permanente said changes in the marketplace were causing the Oakland-based health care giant to adjust staffing. A statement from Gay Westfall, senior vice president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals in Northern California, said employees have been notified of voluntary separation options "as our first priority in addressing our work force transition issues."
Kaiser released no information on any staffing changes at its medical center or clinics in Modesto.
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or (209) 578-2321.
RSS
E-Mail
Print
Order reprints
