In a March 13 email to staff obtained by the newspaper, hospital owner and CEO John Johnson, MD, said the move is to strengthen efforts to prioritize payroll disbursement.
According to WTRF, which also obtained the email, Dr. Johnson added that the emergency department at the hospital, “along with limited staff to support lab, imaging, and specific support, will continue to offer care.” He said elective operations “will remain on hold,” and outpatient services “will be case by case to ensure appropriate care and patient safety.”
“Current patients with active treatment plans will be completed,” Dr. Johnson said, according to WTRF. “Physician practice patients will be notified and will have access to their provider for the next 30 days for all needs.”
Dr. Johnson also told employees that their managers will reach out to them to determine a plan based on their position and patient need. The email included a link for workers to apply for unemployment.
“Closing any of the operations was never my vision, it is with deep sadness that circumstances have restricted the ability to continue as originally planned,” Dr. Johnson said, according to news outlets.
The email comes after employees were not paid as scheduled on March 7, and Dr. Johnson told staff by email that the administration was “working hard to enable a disbursement to take place on or before” March 11. When that timeline was not met with lending sources, some workers protested on March 12 outside the hospital over delayed payment and what employees said was poor communication from hospital leadership, according to The Intelligencer.
Payroll delays also occurred at the hospital in August and another in December.
Becker’s has reached out to the hospital and will update this story if more information is provided.
