PROVIDENCE — Should Care New England’s filing to close Pawtucket’s Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island be approved by the R.I. Department of Health, there are sufficient openings to employ displaced staff at Lifespan and CharterCare Health Partners hospitals, where officials say they’ll strongly consider such applicants.
“If Memorial Hospital closes, no one should lose their job. I’ve spoken directly with senior leaders from Lifespan and CharterCare, and appreciate their commitment to hire workers from Memorial,” Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement Tuesday.
Lifespan and CharterCare both report adequate levels of staff vacancies to help ensure that no health care worker from Memorial Hospital will be left without a job, according to the governor’s office.
At Lifespan, qualified applicants from Memorial will have an advantage.
“To the extent Memorial applicants can be identified as such, and they are fully qualified for the job, their candidacy will be given priority review,” said David Levesque, director of public relations at Lifespan, when asked if Memorial staff would be sought first for new positions.
Lifespan President & CEO Dr. Timothy J. Babineau, said the hospital system recruits regularly. “We currently have several hundred vacant positions and will be pleased to interview any and all qualified candidates,” he said.
Care New England’s application to close Memorial – a Reverse Certificate of Need – must be approved by the R.I. Department of Health, which will first review it to ensure all required information has been included, said Joseph Wendelken, public information officer at RIDOH.
From the time the Department of Health has a completed application, Director of RIDOH Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott has 90 days to issue a decision, Wendelken said. Among the major factors Alexander-Scott will consider, he said, will be access to care for people who are either uninsured or under-insured.
“We have been working diligently to develop a plan and expect to be able to submit the appropriate paperwork with the DOH in the next few weeks,” said James Beardsworth, Care New England spokesman.
“While a regulatory review process is required to complete the closure of Memorial Hospital, care needs to continue to be provided at that facility at some level in the interim. However, CharterCARE Health Partners will welcome any Memorial/Care New England employee who becomes displaced or wishes to consider alternative job opportunities,” said CharterCare CEO John Holiver. “We are confident that Memorial Hospital employees share the same commitment to deliver high quality, compassionate care that is CharterCARE’s hallmark.”
“As we shared with the Governor, CharterCARE Health Partners is always looking to hire qualified and dedicated employees and we would welcome any Pawtucket Memorial/CNE candidates looking for alternative work opportunities,” said Brett Davey, director of communications at CharterCare.
Should Memorial close, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training will schedule a job fair for and will make staff available to work directly with the state’s hospital networks to ensure smooth transitions for staff, according to the governor’s office.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
