Columbia hospital to lay off 50 workers

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A hospital in Columbia is laying off 50 of its 1,700 workers and closing its inpatient pediatrics unit.

Boone Hospital Center CEO Jim Sinek tells the Columbia Daily Tribune that the employees being laid off are “farther away from the bedside.” A statement from the hospital says those employees are mostly in managerial and support roles.

Sinek declined on Monday to specify who’ll be laid off because some employees still need to be informed. He says the hospital is offering those employees severance and helping them find new jobs.

The hospital says the layoffs are due to declining patient volumes and more patients with high-deductible insurance plans avoiding hospitalization. Sinek says Boone Hospital is one of many community hospitals nationwide that is feeling the brunt of lower inpatient volumes.

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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, https://www.columbiatribune.com