Southcoast Health lays off 70 employees due to shortfall

Southcoast Health System has laid off 70 workers, citing a 3 percent shortfall in the system’s operating budget, according to The Standard-Times in New Bedford.
In an emailed statement, Southcoast Public Information Officer Peter Cohenno called the layoffs “the most challenging decision of all.” Cohenno would not provide more details on which positions were eliminated, according to the Oct. 16 report.
“Laying the foundation for a stable long-term future requires that Southcoast, like most other health systems, identify responsible reductions in expenditures that will allow us to continue to operate in an efficient and affordable system for years to come,” Cohenno said in a statement.
The 70 employees laid off represent a less than 1 percent reduction of Southcoast Health’s 7,200-person workforce.
The health system includes three hospitals, Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham, Mass.
South County Hospital Healthcare System in South Kingstown in September ended merger talks with Southcoast Health roughly six months after the two community health organizations began serious talks to join operations. •

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