Nearly 1,000 employees to be laid off as part of St. Vincent restructuring, state filings say

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Documents filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reveals nearly 1,000 St. Vincent Charity Medical Center employees will be laid off as part of the health system’s massive restructuring.

As part of the Worker Adjustment and Restraining Notification Act (WARN), St. Vincent Charity Medical Center submitted a 22-page document listing all 978 jobs that will be lost on November 15th.

The list includes more than 100 nurses and almost 40 physicians.

Hundreds of technicians, therapists, aides, pharmacy workers, security staff, and kitchen workers are also included in the layoffs.

“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,” the unsigned notice said. “Significant efforts were made to find a sustainable model. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic, the changing health care landscape, and declining inpatient volumes have led to significant financial challenges that became impossible to overcome.”

Last week, the Sisters of Charity announced the hospital on E. 22nd Street will change from a traditional acute care hospital into an ambulatory health services provider.

In other words, the hospital will focus on patients who can be treated in minutes or hours, as opposed to spending multiple days in the hospital’s care.

“It’s always hard,” said Jan Murphy, president, and CEO of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. “It’s a big transition for us but we know that we have a bright future.”

The campus is home to Downtown Cleveland’s only emergency room, which will soon be replaced by urgent care.

As part of the overhaul, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center will now provide the below outpatient services:

• Outpatient mental health services
• High-quality provision of addiction medicine services through Rosary Hall
• Primary care, internal medicine, and specialty clinics
• Urgent care

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