EVERETT — Providence Swedish officially gave layoff notices to more than 100 certified nursing assistants at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett on Wednesday.
The layoffs are part of a larger restructuring by Providence that will cut 600 full-time equivalent positions across seven states, the organization announced in a press release Thursday.
In the release, Providence cited proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, delayed payments from insurers, medical and pharmaceutical inflation, and higher labor costs as reasons for the cuts. The restructuring will not impact any other positions in Snohomish County, Providence Everett spokesperson Ed Boyle said Thursday.
Last month, Providence Everett management informed nursing assistants of their plan to reduce staffing and offered a voluntary separation package.
Seven nursing assistants accepted the package, said Mila Sprouse, chief nursing officer for the Providence North Puget Sound region, in an interview Monday. In addition, Providence is laying off 73 full-time and part-time nursing assistants and 35 per diem assistants, totaling 24% of nursing assistant staff.
The layoffs will go into effect July 11, Sprouse said.
Providence Everett has hired more than 500 registered nurses in the past year and currently has nearly 1,700 registered nurses — the highest level of staffing for the position in seven years, Boyle said. The higher number of registered nurses means Providence Everett can operate with fewer certified nursing assistants, he added.
“The decision is very hard for everyone,” Sprouse said. “It’s a lengthy process. We did not get up this morning and make this decision.”
Nursing assistants say the hospital is already understaffed, and making further cuts could jeopardize patient safety.
“I am deeply worried about the patients’ safety & what it will do to the nursing staff,” nursing assistant Sarah Voels told The Daily Herald earlier this month. “We are all a team and I would hate for them to add more work in the nursing load. They already have too much on their plate as it is.”
Sprouse said staffing levels are dependent on state-level regulations.
“At the end of the day, we have to follow what we actually have submitted to the state,” she said.
Union representatives are negotiating the terms of severance with management, representatives said in a statement Wednesday.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated that Providence Everett currently has 500 registered nurses. Providence Everett currently has nearly 1,700 registered nurses, with 500 of those being hired in the past year.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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