Loyola University Health System, based in Maywood, Ill., announced that it will cut approximately 440 jobs due to the economic downturn, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.
The cuts include nurses, managers and staff at both the Loyola University Medical Center and the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
The cuts will reduce the system's expenses by $21 million, according to the report.
Loyola cited an increase in the number of patients who are unable to pay their medical bills as one reason for the layoffs. The system's expenses for charity care have increased by 73 percent over the last nine months.
This is the second round of layoffs for the health system, which cut 200 jobs in Dec. 2008.
Read the Chicago Tribune report on the Loyola layoffs.