St. Vincent Charity in Ohio to lay off almost 1,000 workers

St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland will lay off 978 employees as it stops inpatient and emergency services, according to a notice filed with Ohio authorities.

The medical center, which announced its decision to end services last week, said it will instead transition to ambulatory care and continue to offer mental health, primary and urgent care services. The layoffs take effect Nov. 15.

Affected positions range from physicians to nurses, support service aides and physical therapists. Some of the most affected areas include medical/surgical, chemical dependency, dietary, laboratory management and housekeeping. As of 2021, the 162-bed hospital reported more than 800 full-time-equivalent positions. The pending layoffs account for just over 640 FTE positions.

“This extremely difficult decision is being made with deep respect and gratitude for our caregivers, and we regret the direct impact this decision will have on those individuals,” St. Vincent said in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the state. “Significant efforts were made to find a sustainable model. Unfortunately, the [COVID-19] pandemic, the changing healthcare landscape, and declining inpatient volumes have led to significant financial challenges that became impossible to overcome.”

The medical center typically had 100 to 120 filled beds in 2019. That number dropped to about 50 during the pandemic and, as of this month, hovered around 40 filled beds, according to a report from Crain’s Cleveland Business.

St. Vincent said it plans to keep about 100 clinical and nonclinical staff members. Human resources employees from University Hospitals, also based in Cleveland, are hosting job fairs to offer positions to affected workers. Medical residents can also transition to University Hospitals.

The layoffs are part of a larger plan announced last year to establish a health campus focused on more holistic care, with the medical center as its anchor. Campus initiatives will focus on families, nutrition, workforce development, transportation, housing and education, among other topics. Parent company Sisters of Charity worked with the Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood and Boston-based MASS Design Group to develop a strategy.