The financially-beleaguered Cooper Green Mercy Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., which is within bankrupt Jefferson County, is attempting to make $6.7 million in annual cost reductions to keep itself afloat, according to a Birmingham News report.
The safety-net hospital recently laid off 89 employees to save $4.4 million, but county commissioners have recommended Cooper Green cuts $875,000 per month through the end of September to bring spending on par with projected revenues.
Sandral Hullett, MD, CEO of Cooper Green, said the massive cuts and dire financial situation of the county will "slow services and lead to longer wait times for a growing number of people who need medical care," according to the report.
This past November, Jefferson County leaders placed the municipality under Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection — the largest municipal bankruptcy case ever recorded in the United States. Jefferson County has more than $4 billion worth of debt, with most of that money related to a massive overhaul of the county-owned sewer system and bond-swap agreements that were both rooted in political corruption.
The safety-net hospital recently laid off 89 employees to save $4.4 million, but county commissioners have recommended Cooper Green cuts $875,000 per month through the end of September to bring spending on par with projected revenues.
Sandral Hullett, MD, CEO of Cooper Green, said the massive cuts and dire financial situation of the county will "slow services and lead to longer wait times for a growing number of people who need medical care," according to the report.
This past November, Jefferson County leaders placed the municipality under Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection — the largest municipal bankruptcy case ever recorded in the United States. Jefferson County has more than $4 billion worth of debt, with most of that money related to a massive overhaul of the county-owned sewer system and bond-swap agreements that were both rooted in political corruption.
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