One of the city's largest healthcare providers is laying off employees.
250 people will be laid off from Jewish Hospital and Saint Mary’s Healthcare with a total of 500 positions being affected.
The restructuring will be complete by the end of the month and some people have already left.
On a busy sunny afternoon, it seems like business as usual at Jewish Hospital downtown.
But beyond the daily routine is an air of concern about the company’s future.
CEO Janice James said, “it’s about as hard as it gets when you go through this but at the end of the day my responsibility is to make sure that most of the people still have jobs in a strong viable operation.”
Janice James is the Interim CEO of Jewish Hospital and Saint Mary’s Healthcare.
She says at their 70 sites in Louisville 500 jobs will be affected by their efforts to save $55 million.
250 current employees will be let go, many of them in middle management positions and some with high paying salaries.
“You are far better off for the people that stay here for taking the action soon as opposed to waiting you are far better off,” said James.
The financial woes are centered around less patients coming.
“People are putting off elective type services and have insurance options that have high deductibles so that’s going to make them access health care less.”
It’s a problem hospitals across the country are facing.
Some of the layoffs have already taken effect and the rest will take place by the end of the month.
Those employees affected will get severance packages.
If things turn around, the hospital says some of those employees could be hired back.
