Saturday, February 14, 2009

Swedish Medical Center in Seattle to Layoff 200


Thu, Feb 5, 2009

Job Loss, Trends, Unemployment

swedish_med1Swedish Medical Center, the largest hospital chain in Western Washington will be laying off 200 people. The 200 count includes more than 20 senior executives. The layoffs are an attempt at reducing costs. The hospital claims they will save between $20 and $25 million.

Swedish Medical Center is a nonprofit health care provider. It has three main hospitals located in Seattle, as well as affiliations with several suburban hospitals and clinics.

Workers were notified on Tuesday if they were to lose their jobs. They were also told about the future.

The first layoffs will start with upper management. This includes 4 vice presidents and 22 directors. Next week, another 175 managers and support staff will get the axe.

“Since we made the pledge last year that there would be no cyclical layoffs, the world has changed dramatically,” said Rod Hochman, CEO of the hospital. “Current conditions are not part of the boom and bust cycle industry we described, but rather a complete re-setting of the global economy.”

Spared in the layoffs are doctors, nurses, and nursing assistants.

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