Layoffs Loom At Trumbull Insight Health Facilities
WARREN — The company slated to become the new owner of Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital is laying off employees, but the number of layoffs and the positions affected remains a mystery.
A spokeswoman for Insight Health System emailed a statement Tuesday from the company:
“In order to stabilize operations at Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital for long range viability it was necessary to evaluate positions where staffing was not meeting our current patient volume needs,” the statement says. “As our patient volumes continue to increase, positions will be brought back. The hospitals continue to work with the bargaining units and our employees to identify other opportunities available to those affected as we are currently hiring in needed areas. Patient care will not be impacted in any way.”
A request for additional information went unanswered, representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 8, Youngstown Region, couldn’t be reached.
“While none of our union members at Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital are directly affected by the layoffs, we are disgusted that Insight Health would let any staff member go, especially those who are on an approved leave of absence,” Rick Lucas, Ohio Nurses Association president and executive director, said in an emailed statement. “These abrupt layoffs at Hillside and Trumbull Regional Medical Center compromise essential patient care and the livelihood of the dedicated healthcare professionals that care for the community.”
Judge Christopher Lopez of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston last week approved the sale of the two Trumbull County healthcare facilities to the nonprofit Insight Health System. Insight is based in Flint, Mich.
The only objection to the same came from a medical equipment company. Becton, Dickson & Co. and its subsidiary, CareFusion Systems LLC, states in its filing that it does not object to the sale of assets, but rather to the transfer of equipment at the hospitals that the company says it owns, court papers say.
Becton said in its filing that it is owed approximately $11 million from bankrupt Steward Health Care System – the former owner of Trumbull Regional and Hillside — for its use of the Pyxis System, an automated medication dispensing, electronic tracking and storage system. Medical Properties Trust, or MPT, owned the hospitals.
The Pyxis Systems are covered under a master lease and are not included in the assets being sold, the filing says. It said the equipment was used in 42 Steward facilities including Trumbull Regional in Warren and Hillside in Howland.
Steward filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy May 6. Medical Properties Trust assumed control of Trumbull Regional and Hillside from Steward Health on Sept. 11 through a negotiated settlement with Steward and its lenders. At the time, MPT designated Insight Health Systems, based in Flint, Mich., to operate the hospitals and keep them open.
Insight then created two nonprofit foundations – Insight Foundation of Trumbull and Insight Foundation of Hillside – to buy the hospitals from MPT.
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