Roosevelt hospital cutting staff hours

Roosevelt General Hospital will be making cutbacks to staff hours due to “financial strains,” according to a news release from RGH.

The changes come after a result of “staff shortages and an increase of higher wages to recruit qualified employees, mandated wage increases, skyrocketing insurance premiums, inflation, enormous upsurge in cost of supplies” and multiple other issues, according to Jeanette Orrantia, the hospital’s director of marketing and public relations.

“It has been difficult to recover after the pandemic, and with these added stressors, the hospital is faced with making tough decisions to stabilize our financial position,” said Kaye Green, chief executive officer of RGH.

Making the cutbacks was something they were trying to avoid, according to RGH Board of Trustees Chairman Paul Benoit. “Hospitals across the nation are cutting big time,” Benoit said.

The hospital is trying first to cut back only on schedules rather than cutting staff, Benoit said. This includes eliminating overtime, working less hours, and considering voluntary furloughs. The release states that all of these cutbacks are supposed to be temporary.

At this time, services at RGH and clinics will not be interrupted, hospital officials assured.

“As cost-of-living rises, we may see a decline in patient volumes. If prices for necessities such as food and transportation continue to increase, patients may be less likely to pursue healthcare services because of cost,” Green said. RGH is urging patients not to delay care, which could ultimately affect their treatment.

“Our goal is to keep the services that we offer the community moving forward,” Benoit said.