Northern Valley Suburbanite
Thursday, December 3, 2009
BY LAURA D’ONOFRIO

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center has decided to cut 46 employees. The news is all too common, but hospital officials say the decision to restructure was necessary to stabilize their financial health during these tough economic times.

Twenty-four cuts are layoffs and 22 are positions reduced by attrition — due to resignations and planned retirements that will not be replaced. Five full-time positions at the institution will be reduced to part-time as well.

Jeanne Otersen, representative from the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union, said they want to see the business plan that would suggest the need for the layoffs. As of yet, they don’t see a wane in profit.

Hospital spokesperson Maria Margiotta said that two years ago the hospital recruited and expanded staff to accommodate increased patient volumes due to the closing of Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood.

But since then the trend has changed and patient volumes have actually declined as they have statewide.

“Now we must rebalance staffing to match lower patient volume,” said Margiotta in a written statement. “After this restructuring, we will still have over 100 more employees than two years ago.”

Read the entire article at northjersey.com