Baptist Health has instituted temporarily unpaid furloughs to many across its eight hospitals. FILE PHOTO
NEW ALBANY — Baptist Health announced temporary measures Thursday in response to COVID-19, which are expected to affect many staff across its eight hospitals, including Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany.
The organization will be temporarily reassigning staff to other positions, placing others on unpaid furlough and cutting pay for top hospital leaders, according to a news release.
“Like other hospitals across the country, Baptist Health is striking a delicate balance between maintaining a strong front line of skilled caregivers to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, while grappling with the resulting drain on resources,” Gerard Colman, Baptist Health CEO said, according to a news release.
“After much thoughtful deliberation, we are re-prioritizing and reassigning some staff to serve where needed most, which is at the bedside providing patient care, and in our communities identifying those at risk for COVID-19.
“Focusing on these two critical needs is allowing us to best care for our patients and limit the spread of the virus.”
As of Thursday, there had been 89 positive cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus confirmed among Floyd County residents, with three deaths. But the county tests residents from other areas too. The Floyd County Health Department reported that there have been 176 positive cases confirmed, including people from other counties.
As of March 31, Baptist Health Floyd had 73 ventilators available between three hospitals in the region — New Albany, Louisville and LaGrange. On that day, 13 patients were being treated for coronavirus at Baptist Health Floyd.
In an effort to prioritize space and resources at hospitals to go toward treating people who may have the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, many elective surgeries and more routine hospital visits have been suspended across the U.S. At the same time, expenses have increased in treating those with the coronavirus.
All full- and part-time staff “in jobs that do not support caregivers or are not critical to clinical operations related to COVID-19” will be placed on unpaid furlough, according to the release. Clarification on exactly which types of employees this may affect or how many would be at Baptist Health Floyd was not immediately available by press time.
Government efforts to curtail the spread of the virus — such as suspending elective surgeries and diagnostic tests — have slowed, or put on hold, some standard business operations and reduced work volumes. To address these limitations and counter increased expenses related to COVID-19, top leaders with Baptist Health and the Baptist Health Medical Group — including system C-suite members and hospital presidents — will take a 20 percent pay cut. Other vice presidents and executive leaders will take a 15 percent pay cut.
Those on furlough will be eligible for unemployment and remain eligible for medical benefits. Some will have reduced duties while others will not work during this time.
“Our intent is to return to normal operations as soon as possible, and begin calling back employees. This is just a temporary measure,” Colman said, according to the release. “We value our employees, who are the key to our success, and will continue to be the key to our success going forward. But, first and foremost, we need to ensure we will be here when our communities need us most.”
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