Geisinger Announces Layoffs
By Sarah Buynovsky
Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre is laying off half its staff and becoming a short-stay hospital.
Some employees said they feel blind sided by the announcement and patients said they're worried about what the layoffs will mean to their long-time neighborhood hospital.
"I've worked alongside these people 30 years and I grew up with them and they've watched my family grow and to think now that we're not going to be together anymore," said Geisinger South nurse Debbie Bonn. She and her coworkers said they're very upset.
Administrators announced Thursday morning that 400 workers will lose their jobs starting in September. That's half of the staff at the hospital.
"We're having a very difficult time dealing with it right now. We're all very upset. People are upset, they're crying. I just don't know what to say," said nurse Rose Simchick.
Hospital officials said by next summer, the hospital in Wilkes-Barre will be a short-term stay facility.
The pediatric urgent care center and emergency room will stay but patients who need long-term care will have to go to Geisinger Wyoming Valley in Plains Township or elsewhere.
"Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre will transition on providing state-of-the-art, short-stay and care whereas Geisinger Wyoming Valley will sharpen its long-term care such as neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery and transplant surgery," explained Dr. Steven Pierdon. "Many of the technologies that historically took several days for a hospital stay now can be done with an overnight stay or no hospital stay at all."
Doctors say thanks to new technology like robotic surgery, patients need less time to recover so hospitals don't need as many people working on long-term care.
"Older people aren't going to recover the way other people are. They're going to need more time. I don't know why they would say people need less time because working as a nurse, I don't see that," Simchick added.
For people like Janisha Palmer and her family, Geisinger South is a neighborhood hospital. They don't have a car, so they walked there to have their two year old treated for an insect bite.
"Not everybody can get to the hospital they're trying to reroute everybody to. It's not fair, it's not fair at all," Palmer complained.
Geisinger administrators said in the long run, the layoffs will help keep the hospital open and running. They said these days patients are spending less time recovering after hospital stays, so those services should be scaled back.
The layoffs take effect in September.
Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre is laying off half its staff and becoming a short-stay hospital.
Some employees said they feel blind sided by the announcement and patients said they're worried about what the layoffs will mean to their long-time neighborhood hospital.
"I've worked alongside these people 30 years and I grew up with them and they've watched my family grow and to think now that we're not going to be together anymore," said Geisinger South nurse Debbie Bonn. She and her coworkers said they're very upset.
Administrators announced Thursday morning that 400 workers will lose their jobs starting in September. That's half of the staff at the hospital.
"We're having a very difficult time dealing with it right now. We're all very upset. People are upset, they're crying. I just don't know what to say," said nurse Rose Simchick.
Hospital officials said by next summer, the hospital in Wilkes-Barre will be a short-term stay facility.
The pediatric urgent care center and emergency room will stay but patients who need long-term care will have to go to Geisinger Wyoming Valley in Plains Township or elsewhere.
"Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre will transition on providing state-of-the-art, short-stay and care whereas Geisinger Wyoming Valley will sharpen its long-term care such as neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery and transplant surgery," explained Dr. Steven Pierdon. "Many of the technologies that historically took several days for a hospital stay now can be done with an overnight stay or no hospital stay at all."
Doctors say thanks to new technology like robotic surgery, patients need less time to recover so hospitals don't need as many people working on long-term care.
"Older people aren't going to recover the way other people are. They're going to need more time. I don't know why they would say people need less time because working as a nurse, I don't see that," Simchick added.
For people like Janisha Palmer and her family, Geisinger South is a neighborhood hospital. They don't have a car, so they walked there to have their two year old treated for an insect bite.
"Not everybody can get to the hospital they're trying to reroute everybody to. It's not fair, it's not fair at all," Palmer complained.
Geisinger administrators said in the long run, the layoffs will help keep the hospital open and running. They said these days patients are spending less time recovering after hospital stays, so those services should be scaled back.
The layoffs take effect in September.
Labels: Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre, layoffs, Pennsylvania
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