Monroe hospital announces cuts

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, March 31, 2004

MONROE — Ten employee positions are being eliminated and hours for about five others will be cut after Valley General Hospital reported estimated losses last year of nearly $430,000.

This is the first cut of employee positions since 1994, when 10 administrative positions were eliminated.

Seven of the 10 employee positions being cut this year are unfilled, spokeswoman Martha Dankers said.

The three employees who are affected by the job cuts work in admitting, information services and managed care. They may apply for other positions in the hospital, she said. If they cannot find other jobs in the organization, the layoffs will be effective April 21.

In addition, hours are being reduced for the equivalent of about five full-time employees.

The hospital has 480 full- and part-time employees and a $34 million operating budget.

Before moving to staff cutbacks, the hospital cut consulting fees, materials, supplies and travel budgets, she said. As one example, the hospital’s spring newsletter to the community has been eliminated, saving $10,000.

Collectively, the reductions will save $461,000, with $171,156 coming from staff cuts, she said.

The cuts were blamed on declining patient admissions, a trend seen at hospitals throughout the region, Dankers said. So far this year, admissions are down 9.6 percent over last year.

In addition, the state cut money to hospitals for caring for uninsured patients in emergency rooms. In the last two months, the cost of caring for these patients totaled $207,858, she said.

Last year, such charity care cost the hospital $438,018, meaning the hospital has spent in the first two months of this year nearly half of what it spent all last year for such care.

The hospital also announced it is closing its healthy baby clinic on April 30. The clinic, which opened in August 2002, has cared for 540 infants and young children who might otherwise not have received basic medical care.

Dankers said the clinic was being closed because Medicaid patients are now being cared for through the state’s Healthy Options program at area medical clinics.

The public hospital’s taxing district includes Snohomish, Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, Index and surrounding unincorporated areas.

Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.