Mercy to lay off 38 employees, reduce hours of 20 others

10/3/2012

Mercy is laying off 38 employees and will reduce the hours of 20 others as the health system reorganizes its operations.

The laid-off employees were notified this week that they would lose their jobs. Some will be placed into other positions. Megan Manahan, regional vice president of marketing and communications for Mercy, did not have a specific number for how many employees could be retained or a timetable for when they'd be let go.

Employees who aren't placed into new positions could be offered job training through Mercy College, she said. The layoffs, which are in administrative support, inpatient therapy and supply management for inpatient, are part of Mercy's plan to shift its focus to its overall health system.

"We're living between two worlds: The world of traditional fee-for-service and caring for the sick to the world of managing populations, and wellness, and prevention, and pay for performance, as we say," Ms. Manahan said. "Mercy is transitioning itself really from a system of mainly hospitals to a system of care."

Mercy has added more than 100 jobs in 2012 and plans to surpass that number in 2013, Ms. Manahan said. She said the layoffs are part of a structural change within Mercy and it's unclear if more will follow in the coming year.

Mercy is under the umbrella of Catholic Health Partners.