What do UPMC layoffs, losses portend for Washington Hospital?
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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported last month that UPMC is laying off about 1,000 employees around its 40-hospital domain. This includes “mostly nonclinical and administrative staff.” Also reported is a $198 million operational loss for 2023. As the UPMC takeover looms, what does this portend for the Washington Hospital?
Cutting back nonclinical and administrative staff may be a good thing. Trimming away these positions reduces costs. However, this may be a double-edged sword. The expression, “Better the devil you know than devil you don’t,” comes to mind. When UPMC moves in, will they clean house and bring in even more extraneous, nonclinical, and administrative staff than what is now at Washington Hospital?
What of that $198 million loss? These megasystems have been hit, much as the smaller hospital systems have been, by the atmosphere of the last few years. However, UPMC has such a huge amount of money in the bank that they can absorb the loss and still have plenty of funds to put that feather, which is Washington Hospital, in their cap.
Douglas T. Corwin Jr.
East Washington
Corwin is a member of East Washington Borough Council.