Healthcare company Ascension confirms layoffs in Texas
The Ascension Seton Hays Hospital in Hays County.
Ascension Seton Hays HospitalA major healthcare company, Ascension, has confirmed layoffs in Texas, according to a report from KXAN on Monday, January 23. Ascension did not provide details on how many employees were laid off or at which Texas facilities the layoffs took place.
In a statement sent to KXAN, Ascension noted that the global coronavirus pandemic took a significant operational toll on health systems across the country, including Ascension Texas. The company stated, “We continue to evolve how we deliver care in this challenging environment and further align our strategies and structure to best support patient care initiatives in order to ensure the long-term strength of our organization as we continue to deliver compassionate, personalized take care of everything.”
“Every effort was made to minimize the impact on patient care at the bedside and we focused primarily on non-clinical support roles,” the statement concluded.
According to its website, Ascension has facilities in Austin, Waco, Round Rock, Kyle, and Cedar Park. KXAN reported that Ascension Seton is one of the Austin region’s top employers with over 11,000 employees.
On Thursday, January 19, the Becker’s Hospital Review reported that Ascension Florida is ending its maternity care at the Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside hospital later this year. The closure will affect 68 jobs, which includes 62 registered nurses and six other positions, according to a release obtained by Becker.
Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside, part of St. Louis-based Ascension, attributed the transition to declining maternity patient volumes at the hospital and the increasing availability of alternative regional sites to provide maternity care.
Layoffs in the healthcare industry aren’t just hurting Ascension. According to Oklahoma News 4, two major hospital systems cut 300 positions in January. OU Health released a statement that said reorganizing their company created duplicate jobs, which caused them to eliminate 100 positions. Integris Health also stated 200 positions were eliminated.