UTICA, N.Y. — Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) is cutting 48 jobs and making service changes at its two Utica hospitals this month after losing $1.7 million in more than a year of operating under an affiliation agreement.
MVHS is an affiliation of Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) and St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC), both of Utica. The two organizations teamed up in March 2014.
“One of the goals of our hospital affiliation is to centralize services and care whenever possible, building on our expertise, and making the best use of our resources to ensure cost savings. While our financial performance is improving, we have, to date through April, experienced a $1.7 million loss for the system,” Scott Perra, president and CEO of MVHS, said in a news release issued on Wednesday.
The employees to lose their jobs include 35 at St. Elizabeth Medical Center and 13 at Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare, a hospital spokeswoman said in an email following a CNYBJ inquiry.
The service changes include consolidating its cardiac-services program, closing a 15-bed medical/surgical unit at SEMC, and combining two scheduling departments into one, according to the MVHS news release.
“We have 48 employees who will be impacted by the changes,” Greg Howard, vice president of human resources, said in the release. “The employees will have the opportunity to apply for other positions within the system. Throughout MVHS, we have a number of openings for a variety of positions, especially nursing.”
The staffing changes involve both union and non-union employees, said Howard.
“To date we have not reached an agreement, known as effects bargaining, with the three unions who are represented at the two hospitals. Such an agreement would allow union members to transition more easily from one campus to another. We are hopeful that we can come to an agreement soon as it will benefit our employees who are impacted by these changes,” Howard added.
The unions include the New York State Nurses Association and United Food and Commercial Workers Local One at SEMC, and the Communications Workers of America Local 1126 at FSLH, MVHS said.
Service changes
The organization plans to consolidate its cardiac-services program, including cardiac catheterizations and angioplasty procedures, to SEMC, according to the MVHS news release.
Currently, cardiac catheterizations and angioplasty procedures are performed at both hospitals.
Open-heart surgery is handled at SEMC through the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute, MVHS said.
The health-care organization also plans to close a 15-bed medical/surgical unit at SEMC and consolidate a “limited number” of support services.
“These changes will help us to enhance our centers of excellence, support improved clinical quality, and provide more efficient services for our patients and their families,” said Perra. The consolidation of the cardiac program to SEMC will “centralize” the service and “support greater quality and efficiency,” MVHS added.
New medications that support the early intervention of heart disease are making a “difference” for patients. That has resulted in a decline in the number of procedures in the labs at each hospital, the organization explained.
“Just like FSLH is the regional stroke center, SEMC will build on its reputation as the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute and be the MVHS Center for Cardiac Care,” said Perra. “We will be working with our medical staffs, emergency departments, and first responders on the transition and anticipate that we will have everything in place by late June or early July.”
MVHS is also combining its two central-scheduling departments, one at each hospital, into a single department. It is also uniting its FSLH telecommunications and service-response center into one operation at FSLH.
MVHS announced the consolidations as the organization considers the potential for an entirely new hospital.
The Mohawk Valley Health System on April 1 announced it will use $300 million in the current state budget as it explores the possibility of a new hospital.
The new hospital would replace the inpatient care currently provided at the St. Luke’s campus of Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare and at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com