82°
VALHALLA, N.Y. – Westchester Medical Center announced the layoffs of 124 workers Tuesday as the Valhalla hospital continues to outsource positions in a cost-saving effort.
David Billig, a spokesperson for the medical center, said these layoffs are the final step in the center’s outsourcing partnership with Medical Staff Network and medical center officials believe the outsourcing will benefit the overall care at the hospital.
“By merging the roles of several different titles, we will improve care, safety, communication, efficiency and flexibility,” Billig said in a press release. He did not elaborate on how much money the hospital would save by outsourcing the jobs.
Pete Piazza, president of CSEA Unit 9201, which represents the workers being let go, said the positions being laid off are broken down as follows: 83 hospital clerks, six Spanish-speaking hospital aides, one assistant supervisor and 34 patient care technicians.
“These are people that are working with the patients on a daily basis. Some of them are in the emergency room,” Piazza said. “Some of these workers have been with the medical center for over 30 years.”
Billig said any employee being let go can reapply for his or her position or a similar one at the medical center through Medical Staff Network.
Piazza said the employees being laid off were notified Monday and their final day will be Aug. 20.
“By letting these workers go, the center clearly doesn’t care about the care their patients receive,” Piazza said.
Comments (10)
Medical related jobs are demand to other country, why don't they try to apply there to have an income? Or simply apply for instructor handling medical assistant training in different medical assistant schools in Texas and in other state of US.
They'll probably hire idiots who come from for profit colleges like berkeley or monroe college. Why pay someone $25/hr when a hospital can pay $10/hr to a for profit grad who can't read and write.. Many patients will suffer due to the negligent educations being delivered. Westchester residents should stay away from this failing hospital.
You got that right!
Anyone with even the slightest medical need must stay as far away from Westchester Medical Center as possible. Too too many layoffs! Imagine the hell it is be for the harding working staff never knowing if they will be next? Add to the fact that the layoffs happened with short notice and only a suggestion of replying with a huge cut in pay? No! This needs to be re-started with a entirely new management team. Until then if you value your health, avoid at all costs.PRESS RE-START.
Israel and his overstaffed, over paid administration should be the ones out sourced.
this place is a joke, close it before they kill more people than they save, you can't pay this type of occupation close to minimum wage and expect to get any type of real health care, it's an abomination and should be closed
Once upon a time Westchester Medical Center was a GREAT INSTITUTION. Their cardiac program was top notch and I was very lucky to have them around on more than one occaision. Now..all my doctors are gone and my insurance isn't any good there anymore. Once upon a time the Trauma Team and the Stat Flight Team saved lives time and time again...now The TRAUMA TEAM are Hired guns and all the staff is getting laid off.....Won't be long before no one will elect to go there...then it will close. Sad...you write a letter documenting poor treatment and they call you a liar.....sad very sad....
260 nurses aides. 125 clerks. So what? As long as Mr. Israel and his greedy executives keep receiving their grossly inflated compensation packages and their generous raises then that is the important thing. Obviously it is to them. Jeff Meyer St.Pete/Tuckahoe,NY
What angers me is why doesn't Mr. Israel lead by example? Did he take a salary cut? Did his upper management cronies take a salary cut? It was reported that they received pay raises this year. If that is true how can you look at yourself in the mirror? Think of the domino effect of misery that these cuts are causing. The hundreds of local families being devastated. How can he PROFIT when others are being terminated from gainful employment. No different then Con Ed CEO Mr. Kevin Burke. Though Con Ed reaps a billion dollars in profit in 2011 he finds it necessary to LOCKOUT 8,500 workers. For what? When is it ever going to be enough of a profit? These two CEO's are two peas in a pod and they both make me sick. Jeff Meyer St.Pete/Tuckahoe,NY