ValleyCare breaking promise to preserve good jobs in Valley, union leader says

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Regular registered nurses are not impacted by the workforce layoffs coming to ValleyCare Health System’s Northside Medical Center.

However, 42 union health care providers, represented by Service Employees International Union District 1199, are among those being laid off, SEIU spokesman Anthony Caldwell said in a news release.

“The announcement by ValleyCare to lay off 42 union health care providers at Northside Hospital demonstrates a broken promise to the people of the Mahoning Valley as they fail to fulfill their obligation to preserve good jobs and revive a struggling health care system,” Caldwell said.

Low patient volumes and out-migration of patients to other health care providers are directly related to mismanagement by ValleyCare executives and could put quality care at risk, he said.

“We are working with our members and hospital leaders to look for ways to minimize the impact to the community and preserve as many jobs as possible,” Caldwell said.

In a statement Wednesday, ValleyCare Northside said it was laying off 68 full-time equivalents.

Read more about the matter in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.