Waterbury Hospital said Thursday that it would eliminate the equivalent of 80 full-time positions to help stabilize its finances.
The hospital is cutting a mix of open, full-time, and part-time positions.
The cuts come just over a month after Tenet Healthcare Corp. said it would cease its attempts to acquire the hospital, which has been struggling financially.
“Sadly, community hospitals across the state and country are facing enormous challenges from state and federal reimbursement cutbacks, the impact of healthcare reform, a changing marketplace, and healthcare services shifting to outpatient settings,” Darlene Stromstad, the hospital’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “These dynamics are especially difficult for hospitals like Waterbury Hospital which serve as a safety net hospital caring for the most vulnerable patients and community members.”
The hospital said its government reimbursement this year would be nearly $9.8 million lower than last year for the same services rendered.
Waterbury had warned after the Tenet deal fell apart that it would likely have to make cuts.
The workforce reduction announced Thursday is just the first step. The hospital said it would also have to eliminate initiatives not directly related to patient care, consolidate physician practices, close community blood centers, and evaluate outsourcing and collaborations.
There is still some hope that Tenet will reconsider. Its representatives met recently with legislators and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s staff to try to outline a compromise on what conditions the state might impose on a for-profit Waterbury Hospital.
