Modesto hospital to cut 114 workers from payroll

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 registered nurses, respiratory care therapists, nursing assistants, housekeepers, unit clerks, monitor clerks and emergency room technicians, as well as employees in 20 other job classifications.

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 last week that 165 people were affected by the restructuring and that reduced hours and other jobs without benefits would be 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. Others 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. Three 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.

And the news comes just a month after another Sutter Health affliate, Memorial Hospital Los Banos, cut 15½ full-time equivalent employees in a range of positions. In those layoffs, Chief Executive Officer Richard Liszewski said that the employees were let go after a productivity consultant compared the hospital with others nationwide.