Hospital lays off 51 employees

LONG BRANCH — Monmouth Medical Center is assuring the communities it serves that patient care will not be compromised in the wake of last week's layoffs in which 51 employees lost their jobs.

On Dec. 11, the hospital on Second Avenue, which is an affiliate of the St. Barnabas Health Care System, made the decision to layoff 51 employees from the management, support and ancillary staff, according to a press release from Monmouth Medical Center.

"The jobs that were eliminated were chosen because they had the least impact on patient care," said Kristine A. Brown, the director of public relations at Monmouth Medical Center.

Frank J. Vozos, executive director of the hospital, released a statement stating, "MonmouthMedical Center is committed to facing the challenges of the future while maintaining the highest quality of care. Our commitment to patient care will not be compromised."

Monmouth Medical Center, as well as the entire state and national health care system, is being faced with challenges due to drastic Medicare, Medicaid and charity care deficits from the state and federal government, according to a press release from the medical center. In 2007, Monmouth Medical Center provided approximately $14,548,000 in charity care as calculated by the state's formula, for which it was reimbursed only $8,722,000, leaving a balance of $5,826,00 for the hospital to absorb, according to the release.

"We have an obligation to the communities we serve to remain a viable institution well into the future, while providing the highest level of health care possible in order to meet the needs of our patients," Vozos said. "As a result, we had to make a very difficult decision, and 51 individuals were affected by this work-force reduction.

"These decisions were not made easily, but we must ensure the success of the organization by achieving both cost effectiveness and efficiency," he added.

According to the press release, Monmouth Medical Center is a 527-bed teaching hospital affiliated with Philadelphia's Drexel University College of Medicine. The hospital employs 2,036 people and treats over 21,000 inpatients, approximately 182,000 outpatients, delivers more than 4,000 babies and performs in excess of 8,100 same-day surgeries annually.

The hospital also sees over 45,000 emergency department patients a year.

The Monmouth Medical Center administration is meeting with all employees affected by the staff cuts, and those employees will be given priority for available positions throughout the St. Barnabas Health Care System. Each of the employees laid off will also receive a severance package and benefits for a length of time, according to the release.