Jackson Health Announces 21 Layoffs

Jackson Health Announces 21 Layoffs

Layoff Announcement Smaller Than Anticipated

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MIAMI -- Jackson Health System laid off a total of 21 employees Tuesday, a much smaller number than union leaders had feared.Of the 21 employees that will be laid off, one is a radiologist, and the others are 20 associate nurse managers, who are mid-level executives.

"We had heard rumors of 1,200 or more people being laid off," said Martha Baker, president of Local 1991 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents nearly 5,000 nurses, doctors and other health professionals at Jackson.Still, Baker predicted that more employees would be laid off in the future, and Jackson president and CEO Dr. Eneida Roldan confirmed it at a packed afternoon news conference."Whether it’s 800 or 1,000 or 1,500 or 2,000 employees," said Roldan, "we will do it in accordance with our contractual obligations."Under agreements with its unions, Jackson must give employees 21 days' notice before terminating them.Tuesday’s layoffs are the result of a long-simmering financial crisis at Jackson, Miami-Dade’s safety net hospital. It provides free medical care to the indigent, paid for in part by a half-cent sales tax approved by Miami-Dade voters in 1991.But demands for charity care have increased exponentially, Jackson executives said, while revenues to pay for it have fallen. Jackson is currently losing $14 million a month, according to a recent audit, and will not be able to meet its payroll in May unless drastic changes are made.