The Mammoth Hospital Board of Directors and the Hospitals administration staff held a special meeting to allow the public to comment on their decision to cut 20 Full-Time Employee Equivalents from the hospital staff. While an obviously unpopular decision among staff, the hospitals CFO James Hughey explained that Mammoth Hospital is overstaffed even for good economic times.

Right now our level of service allows for two hours per patient visit, Hughey explained. This is very high and well above any national statistics. I can guarantee you are not spending more than one hour per patient so the numbers dont make sense.

Huey explained that even with the cut of 20 FTEEs, or 5 percent of the hospitals staff, this level of service could still be met.

Administration has broken the layoffs into voluntary and involuntary reductions. The window for voluntary separation, or employees who are willing to leave the hospital for whatever reason on their own, closes on Friday, July 10. At the meeting, 12 applications had been received for voluntary separation.

We wont be able to take all of the applications that have been submitted, but we will be able to take some, which will reduce the number of involuntary layoffs we will have to administer, stated the hospitals CEO Gary Boyd.

He explained that if a voluntary application came in from an employee who held a key position that they would just have to rehire anyway, the administration would not accept the voluntary separation.

Emotions ran high as employees that packed the room discussed how the hospital had gotten to this point. Many blamed it on the faulty billing system at the hospital. Others expressed their concerns over what would happen to their families if they were laid off, as well as how they would be able to afford health insurance.

Administration stated several times that if further cuts were needed in the future, they would start at the top, administrative level. Again, they had not started there this go around because they believed the hospital was overstaffed and could use to let some employees go. This is also why administration did not look at cutting back on matches to employees 403 Bs at this time either.

Involuntary cuts are expected to be made next week in order to get the ordeal over with, according to Boyd. We dont want anyone walking on pins and needles longer than they have to.

Those who are let go will be asked to leave immediately, but will be laid off under good terms with the possibility of a rehire if things get better in the future, according to Boyd. Layoffs will be based on staffing in certain areas, seniority and competency.

On the other side of the coin, the hospital is looking to hire a Controller position.

Many financial areas in this organization have gone unwatched, Hughey stated. We need to hire a Controller to be a second in command for the CFO and to groom someone for the CFO succession.

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