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Lodi Memorial lays off 44 employees
Lodi Memorial Hospital laid off 44 workers Monday, blaming a poor economy and sizable debt.
Spokeswoman Carol Farron said the hospital had planned to delay any layoffs until absolutely necessary — possibly by the beginning of 2009 — but budgetary cutbacks forced the hospital to reduce its staff.
"We weren't counting on the economy tanking so drastically," Farron said today.
She said that many of the cost-cutting measures, not just the lay-offs, would still have been made for better operating efficiency and improved patient care.
"As we got further and further along in our budget process, we knew we would have to make these decisions," she said.
One budget item that was unavoidable was the interest expense payment of $8 million for bonds that were used for seismic retrofitting. That repayment has to begin at the beginning of the year.
The lay-offs don't make sense to some former employees.
Christine Glover, of Lodi, was a medical billing representative for Lodi Memorial until a week ago. She had informed the hospital she would be resigning due to child care issues and, according to her, she was assured that she would be marked as "re-hireable" once she resolved her child care needs.
Glover said she was let go last week, before the other lay-offs, and before the date she had specified as her final day.
"The way they did it was just sickening, with the timing, the economy the way it is," Glover said. "They paid me for the week. They said they were being generous."
For more of this story, see Wednesday's News-Sentinel.
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OTH wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:18 PM:
Regarding LMH being overstaffed I think that may depend what department you work in. "
S W 500 wrote on Nov 19, 2008 9:41 PM:
concerned citizen wrote on Nov 19, 2008 7:19 AM:
OTH wrote on Nov 18, 2008 8:35 PM:
I'm sorry to hear about your job situation but not surprised. You are the latest in a long line of employees terminated in this manner. "
roni95242 wrote on Nov 18, 2008 7:10 PM:
People get out of Lodi if you want quality medical care St Josephs is a Much better hospital and Modesto has much better Doctors!
I feel very bad for all the people who lost there jobs at Christmas time. "
SCOOP7 wrote on Nov 18, 2008 6:29 PM:
To those employees who were "let go" this week due to budget restraints, I might suggest you demand any and all money given by you in support of the project be returned. Nothing like funding your own demise. "
MaJa wrote on Nov 18, 2008 5:44 PM:
SCOOP7 wrote on Nov 18, 2008 5:37 PM:
I know many current and former LMH employees--department managers included--who would beg to differ. From what I've heard, it is the "Top Brass" who should be downsized. "
Whoa Nellie! wrote on Nov 18, 2008 5:15 PM:
Aimee wrote on Nov 18, 2008 3:23 PM:
Patients can always choose to go somewhere else for care. And how does LM raise rates where insurance is involved? Are they not under contract, agreeing to accept a certain amount for services rendered to covered patients?
On a related note to medical billing and charges, The California Supreme Court just heard arguments whether out-of-network emergency room doctors can charge the patient over and above what their insurance company will pay (Prospect v. Northridge, et al.). "
Aimee wrote on Nov 18, 2008 3:12 PM:
That IS sickening. "
loadeye wrote on Nov 18, 2008 2:48 PM:
lodi'syummymummy wrote on Nov 18, 2008 1:15 PM:
reality1 wrote on Nov 18, 2008 1:07 PM:
loadeye wrote on Nov 18, 2008 12:51 PM:
SCOOP7 wrote on Nov 18, 2008 12:44 PM:
Comments on this story are now closed.