Seattle-based UW Medicine Center for Behavioral Health and Learning at UW Medical Center-Northwest has shared plans to lay off 32 employees.
The behavioral health hospital is part of Seattle-based UW Medicine.
Twenty-two of the affected employees were probationary and 10 were permanent, Susan Gregg, media relations director for UW Medicine, said in an April 17 statement shared with Becker’s.
While UW Medicine Center for Behavioral Health and Learning is staffed to care for 66 long-term civil commitment patients, the hospital’s current average daily census is 35, making it overstaffed. The layoffs are to help adjust staffing levels.
UW Medicine is working with affected employees to find alternative opportunities at the system.
“We want to emphasize that we remain fully committed to our long-term civil commitment patients, and all 75 beds will remain available and intact,” Ms. Gregg said. “As referral volume increases, we are prepared to scale staffing and bed capacity accordingly. We will reopen beds as demand increases.”
