MetroHealth says 150 of the 450 jobs will be eliminated by not replacing some people. The budget must be cut by $30 million.
CLEVELAND— Hundreds of employees at one of northeast Ohio's largest hospitals are in danger of losing their jobs. A local congressman says another area hospital could be partly to blame.
MetroHealth Medical Center on Cleveland's west side is a level one trauma center. Hospital officials announced Monday that 450 jobs will be eliminated. "You're already living in an economy where it's hard to get a job, and now they want to take people out of the hospitals that's helping people," said Warren Farmer, whose premature son is being treated at the hospital.
"This is where I come, this is the hospital that I come to for everything... medication, all my appointments and now it's like we'll probably be waiting forever just to get in anywhere, if they lay off all these people," said patient Sheila Hall.
For years, Metro has been struggling to meet its budget. Over the past three years, the hospital has eliminated 600 positions. Now, it says it will lose $1 million this year and is forced to cut the budget by $30 million.
"It's a sad state because we're not gonna be able to take care of these patients, I mean we'll do the best we can with what we have, but it keeps on getting harder and harder the more people we lay off," said registered nurse Jane Schlegel.
"Every health care system in our area has a responsibility to take care of people who are uninsured," said Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D) 10th District, during an afternoon news conference.
Congressman Kucinich says Metro absorbs its unfair share of patients who can't afford to pay for medical care. He sent a letter to the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic asking for that hospital to accept a greater number of uninsured patients.
"People are not insured, go to Metro, they get care and Metro has to cover that, they end up with a loss, if they have large enough losses, what happens? What we see today," Kucinich said.
Metro released a statement which reads,"This has been a challenging year financially for MetroHealth. Our uninsured patient visits have increased by 8 percent over 2010, our cost growth has outstripped reimbursement and our county subsidy was reduced by 10 percent. These factors have impacted our ability to meet our budget targets. As a result, our 2012 planning process includes targets that budget for reductions in our employee force."
"Clinical and administrative leadership are working hard to submit a 2012 budget that will leave MetroHealth clinically, operationally and financially sound. Plans are still being developed at this time and cuts will occur across the organization."
"We value the contribution of all MetroHealth employees and will look for ways to minimize the effects of this action. Every effort will be made to support employees affected by this transition. This operational change is crucial to ensuring the financial strength of MetroHealth while maintaining our mission."
In response to Congressman Kucinich, the Cleveland Clinic released a statement which reads, "Cleveland Clinic provided a total of $537.4 million in community benefit, including $149.8 million in charity care during 2010. Community benefit reporting is required by the Federal Government's Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and includes education, research, charity care, Medicaid shortfalls, subsidized health services and health and community outreach programs. Additionally, the IRS requires non-profit hospitals to report their charity care amounts in terms of what it costs to provide the care rather than the charges associated with that care. Cleveland Clinic is proud and committed to serving the medical needs of this community and to providing more than 40,000 jobs that support over 58,000 households in Northeast Ohio, making it an economic driver in the region."
MetroHealth says 150 of the 450 jobs will be eliminated by not replacing some people. The budget must be cut by $30 million.
Hospital officials say cuts will be made across the organization, and every effort will be made to support employees affected by the transition.
