Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health is working to improve its financial stability through an evaluation of workforce and leadership structure, according to a July 1 news release shared with Becker’s.
The health system will not be closing hospitals as part of the restructuring. However, services at some of its locations might be altered. The news comes after Northern Light Inland Hospital and associated Clinics in Waterville, Maine, closed May 27.
Paul Bolin, executive vice president and chief people and administrative officer for Northern Light Health, told Becker’s that, while the health system does not have the specifics to what services will be affected due to the restructuring, they wanted to inform employees of the changes ahead of time.
“We want to make sure that we let people know, ‘Hey, there’s a problem, we need to fix it … ‘ [O]ur focus is to ensure that we’re here for generations to come to care for the people of Maine, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.”
Mr. Bolin said Northern Light is reviewing its total business business model, how it delivers care across the state and what is most efficient and effective to meet community care needs. On the workforce front, Mr. Bolin did not mention any layoffs, but said the health system is not filling positions once they become open.
“We’ve really been taking a concerted effort over the last few months to be very cautious as we replace positions for people who leave,” he said. “Some of that’s happened already in terms of reducing our overall head count and our expenses.”
