Posted on 03/27/2020 6:09:31 PM PDT by buckalfa
Appalachian Regional Healthcare, a 13-hospital system in Lexington, Ky., will furlough about 500 employees due to a sharp reduction in business and revenue, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ordered hospitals in the state to suspend elective procedures March 23 to preserve protective equipment and bed space for COVID-19 patients. As a result, the hospital system has seen a 30 percent decrease in business, according to the report.
Appalachian Regional said its decision to temporarily reduce staff was to protect employees not involved in direct patient care from contracting the novel virus and ensure that the health system has enough supplies to treat the anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients.
“As healthcare providers, we are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and need to do everything we can to ensure we have the right clinical resources in place, including staff, supplies and equipment, to prepare for a COVID-19 patient surge," Sonya Bergman, Appalachian Regional's vice president of human resources, told the publication.
The furloughs are expected to be temporary. Affected staff will still have health insurance during the furlough.
Another Kentucky hospital in Morehead, St. Claire HealthCare, took a similar step this week, furloughing 300 of its staff members due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They cannot find something helpful for them to do?!
Ehhhhh. Say what? Oh. This must be a story from ten years ago.
In preparation for an influx, we recently opened a wing that had been shut down by the previous owners about 10 years ago.
An additional 20 beds.
We currently have 7 patients. Hmmmmm.
A lot of hospitals closing in this area, the loss of elective procedures is the kiss of death
The whole problem with a national shutdown of everything. The government focused on media markets, since they drive what’s on TV and forgets about the other people in other parts of the country.
Would rather see other areas send them patients.
Assuming 10 day stay should leave plenty of leeway for the locals coming.
Bet NY won’t pay is why.
it’s odd but since we are not having elective surgeries our hospital has many empty beds in preparation for “it” to happen although IMO I don’t think “it” will happen......many nursing staff given days off.....
but we're a community entity...
I’ve watched several rural hospitals in E.Tenn financially crash and wide areas lose all local health care, it is not a pretty sight.
Just insane
There are a bunch of hospital workers who never see a patient. If your revenue drops 30%, and most of your current patients are Medicare only patients who are there a long time...you are not going to be able to keep the lights on.
How many of them will go find other jobs before they can be hired back when the “war zone” hits?
More likely, it will never hit these hospitals more than a blip. But normal business will return... And their people gone.
Laying off these health workers is what Kentucky gets for electing a Democrat as governor even if the Republican governor was an asshole.
I am close to Kansas City, the hospitals have sent nurses home over a week ago, they’re empty, as opposed to the nightmare scenarios we heard were coming. The nurses are on home lockdown like everyone else.
Less doctor and hospital visits. This means health insurance rates should adjust accordingly, right?
Appalachian Regional Healthcare should be contacting governors and state health agencies across the country to find where their laid off employees could help fill temporary human resource shortages outside their business area, even in other states.
Exactly. They have no idea what we have to deal with in flyover country. Even those we elect to represent us don’t necessarily live in our district.
I know what you mean. We have very few nurses on duty right now. Even our ER has been slow.
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