Stanley Brezenoff, interim president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, said the administration will fill only 25 percent of open positions at the health system due to a lack of city and state funding, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Brezenoff said in a letter to staff Thursday he plans to fill 25 percent of the 250 to 300 jobs that become available each month across the system's 11 hospitals, the report states.
"I recognize that an even larger number of lost positions across our system will have consequences for patients, for a number of services and for continuity of care and I deeply regret this — but this budget cut leaves us with no choice," Mr. Brezenoff wrote in the letter obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
Health system officials said they have roughly two weeks of cash on hand and claim the health system has yet to receive roughly $380 million in disproportionate hospital payments owed by the state, according to the report.
To compensate for the lack of funding, Mr. Brezenoff said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal NYC Health + Hospitals has begun slowing payments to vendors and may consider reducing patient services on days when staff isn't large enough to care for patients.
Mr. Brezenoff did not specify whether the health system could meet its payroll obligations for the rest of October, according to the report. Without the additional funding, Mr. Brezenoff said the health system would likely increase the number of patients they ask ambulance services to send to other hospitals, but would not turn away a patient who comes to the health system seeking care.
While attrition is reportedly already underway at the health system, Mr. Brezenoff said it is only a temporary fix. He said senior management will consider additional cost-saving measures within the next few weeks, according to the report.