Shuttered Oklahoma hospital employees not getting pay, benefits after closure

After Pauls Valley (Okla.) Hospital closed Oct. 12, about 130 people were out of jobs, and many of them said they have not received pay for weeks, according to KWTV.

The hospital's former employees said money taken out of their paychecks for taxes and benefits were never applied. 

Maddy Williams, who worked as a nurse at the hospital for 38 years and is fighting cancer, said she is finding out the benefits she paid for do not exist.

"I just had my double mastectomy two weeks ago today. And about 10 days before my mastectomy, I found out that I no longer have any insurance," Ms. Williams told KWTV.

Pauls Valley was managed by several management companies over the years, but it is owned by the city.

City manager James Frizell said the city council was recently informed of the problems with payroll taxes and benefits.

"We are given financial reports. The hospital authority is given hospital reports, the insurance reports, all those to look for. To be honest with you I can't say that we would see that those were or were not being paid," Mr. Frizell said.

Frank Avignone, CEO of Alliance Health Partners, the interim hospital operator, said issues at the hospital have been ongoing.

"This has been going on for years folks," Mr. Avignone said. "And we've uncovered stuff since we've been here which is egregious at best."

When asked what the "stuff" was, Mr. Avignone said, "I can't talk too much about them because there are probably things that are going to lead to litigation."

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars