by JEN BIUNDO
The Seton family of hospitals is cutting jobs held by 120 employees, but have not yet revealed if any staff members will be laid off at the newly open Seton-Hays hospital in Kyle. (Courtesy photo)
Citing the pressures of an ailing economy and rising numbers of uninsured patients seeking charity treatment, the Seton Family of Hospitals is preparing to cut about 150 jobs, hospital officials announced last week.
A Seton spokesperson could not immediately say if any positions at the recently-opened Kyle hospital will be axed. Employees have not yet received their pink slips, but will be notified of the layoffs before the end of the month, said Seton spokesperson Adrienne Lallo.
Of the positions to be eliminated, 74 are vacant and 77.5 are held by 120 employees, many of whom work part-time, Lallo said. But not all of the laid off employees will be out of work. Seton currently has about 200 job positions open, some of which could be filled by those affected by the job cuts.
“First and foremost, we’ll do matching between these folks that are displaced and see if they are a good fit for the roles we need to fill,” Lallo said.
The positions that are being cut are primarily administrative, Lallo said, noting that some are classified as clinical, but are not direct care positions.
The hospital would not release the dollar amount expected to be saved with the cuts, but said they are trying to shave five percent off their annual budget.
The Seton system, which was founded by the religious order the Daughters of Charity, is operated by the Catholic non-profit system Ascension Health.
While the hospital did not immediately say what percentage of the hospital’s care was donated to needy patients, Lallo said charity care at Seton has climbed 23 percent in the last fiscal year to date, from $154 million to $189 million. Seton begins its fiscal year on July 1. The increase in charity cases is largely because the hospital is seeing more patients who have no health insurance or are insured through government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, Lallo said.
“It’s a combination of things,” Lallo said. “The economy is probably the number one. A lot of people, as a result of being laid off, do not have coverage through their employers.”
Lallo described the financial health of the hospital as “excellent” but said most construction projects in new areas are “sitting on the back burner right now.” However, the planned fourth floor expansion of the Seton Hays hospital is likely not in jeopardy.
“In Hays, we have had a great response from the community,” Lallo said. “It would be our vision to continue to expand that facility.”
The hospital system employs a staff of about 11,500.
