The number of layoffs announced is small – less than 200 out of a total of about 43,000 employees, most in the Cleveland area, but some also in Florida and Toronto.
Corporate Communications Director Eileen Sheil says the reductions are a result of consolidations and adaptations of some Clinic hospitals to accommodate 'specialty' work - for instance, childbirth is now concentrated in Hillcrest Hospital on the east side and Fairview on the west side.
EILEEN SHEIL:
"When you have a high volume of patients, and a concentrated set of experts, its' better for the patient - you're getting higher quality outcomes, and that's really what this is designed to do."
The clinic is the largest employer in Northeast Ohio, with a diverse array of services spread over its 10 regional campuses, so it’s jobs picture tends to vary.
When the economy went sour in 2008, it imposed a hiring freeze, and has eliminated about 600 positions over the past several years through attrition. In May of 2009 Clinic officials strenuously objected to a new fee on hospitals imposed by the Strickland administration to help fill a budget gap, saying it would eliminate as many as 400 clinic jobs.
But last December the Clinic announced it was poised to add as many as 1600 jobs in 2010. And after this week’s layoffs, Eileen Scheil says there are other positions at the clinic that are currently open.
SHEIL:
"We have several hundred jobs posted at this time as well, so we are encouraging employees to apply for different jobs with the Cleveland Clinic health system."
Scheill says the size of the clinic’s workforce, plus changes in health care delivery, insurance procedures, and even population will make more adjustments necessary in the future.
