The dwindling number of patients the hospital serves at the affected units — up to 13 per day — combined with the cost associated with running the programs complicated the programs’ future, Stricker said.
According to an internal memo circulated to hospital staff members, the Medical Executive Committee at Glendale Memorial met on Aug. 21 and “acknowledged the intent of [the hospital] to close the unit.”
Stricker did not reveal the extent of the economic losses suffered at the hospital, but did say that the hospital has made recent upgrades to its acute care services such as a multimillion-dollar information services system that will “streamline care” for patients and the renovation of the hospitals’ seventh floor to a private wing set to be completed by Thanksgiving. The hospital also purchased a state-of-the-art digital CT scanner, she said.
“It’s all part of the hospital budget,” Stricker said. “The important thing to remember is that we’re still growing.”
The exact number of people set to lose their jobs has not been finalized, but estimates from hospital staff range from 100 to 130 medical personnel.
Up to 10% of supervisors and other managers are also slated to lose their jobs during the hospital’s downsizing, Stricker said.
Like staff members, some will have the opportunity to transfer to another position inside the hospital, she said.
Nurses and staff members inside the hospital, located at 1420 S. Central Ave., privately said this week that poor management is to blame for the units’ closure and subsequent job cuts.
