Carthage Area Hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg cutting jobs

CARTHAGE, N.Y. — Carthage Area Hospital (CAH) and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center (CHMC) in Ogdensburg on Friday announced each hospital is cutting jobs that “could potentially affect” 4 percent of each hospital’s workforce.

The cuts could also affect Meadowbrook Terrace assisted-living facility, a CAH affiliate.

The organizations cite “decreasing patient volumes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, changing demographics, and an evolving market,” for the job cuts, per the announcement.

The hospitals declined to provide a job-cut figure beyond the percentage provided in the announcement, Taylour Scanlan, foundation and marketing director for Carthage Area Hospital, tells CNYBJ in an email message.

The reductions will not disrupt services for the institutions, they said.

“At the start of the pandemic in 2020, we furloughed some of our workforces and offered early retirement to others. The continued erosion of revenue caused by the pandemic and other factors place us in a challenging position,” Richard Duvall, president and CEO of Carthage Area Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, said. “It’s a time for difficult decisions to keep these hospitals in their local communities. We are not the only health-care institutions dealing with these issues or reductions, but we want to be transparent that we are doing all we can to stop further impacts on our workforce.”

Duvall added CEO duties at CHMC in October 2019 in a move that both organizations noted did “not” represent an acquisition or merger, only a partnership.

Regarding these jobs’ cuts, Duvall went on to say that every effort to increase revenues and reduce costs “by any other means has been exhausted.”

“CHMC and CAH have taken deliberate approaches to examine solutions that balance employee benefits and the financial health of the organizations,” Duvall said. “We have created cooperative programs, shared staff, and cut back on spending. Employee cuts are a final resort, and one that we know will impact the lives and families of dedicated employees that serve our communities.”

In the coming months, both hospitals say they are “focused on the continued evaluation of their financial situations to ensure long-term viability and success.”

About the hospitals

Carthage Area Hospital is a 25-bed hospital, serving about 83,000 residents in Jefferson, northern Lewis and southern St. Lawrence counties. The hospital formed a clinical affiliation with Crouse Health, Syracuse, in 2017.

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center maintains a 67-bed acute care medical-surgical unit, 10-bed intensive care unit, 28-bed secure adult inpatient acute psychiatric unit, and 10-bed obstetrical suite, and a 12-bed secure child and adolescent inpatient acute psychiatric unit.