Friday, April 26, 2013

Layoffs Could Mean Longer Wait Times At Hospitals

The Horizon Health Network has announced it must find $12.5 million in efficiencies in its budget by the end of this fiscal year.

The sheer size of that sum means nearly 80 healthcare workers will be seeing layoff notices on their desks in the near future. Horizon Health Network CEO John McGarry tells Tide News the cuts will be happening on all levels from administration on down.

On the one hand, McGarry tells Tide News the cuts will not mean decreased quality of care; however, he also says the cuts will mean people have to travel to get certain types of care and wait longer for others. He says while Horizon will attempt to be as compassionate, the fact is the majority of the corporation's resources are spent on people, and thus jobs are what will need to be cut.



He blames the so-called "out of control growth" of the system in previous decades for the current cuts, adding Horizon's situation is hardly unique--on the contrary, it's a pattern that's playing out worldwide.