Health Care Workers Fear Losing Jobs Despite Service Demand Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Health care workers who are highly trained to fight the pandemic are reportedly having trouble finding a stable job in several rural regions in the US. Reports say that even those already employed in rural hospitals find themselves being laid-off or reassigned to some other areas. In some cases, hospitals inform them about the cancellation of their employment contracts.

Staff Reductions

In Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Hillcrest Medical System announced they would be implementing staff reductions in the hope of consolidating their resources during the coronavirus outbreak. According to reports, Hillcrest will temporarily lay off some 600 hospital personnel. Leanne Helmerich is among the 600 staff members that will be forced to take a leave of absence. Reports say she will be called back to the hospital when the need arises. “It’s a big pot of emotions. But mostly I'm worried about how I'm going to pay the bills,” said Helmerich.

In Oklahoma City, Integris Baptist Medical Center has told its employees it will be ceasing nearly all of its operations outside the emergency room. This leaves Abby Cachero, a contract nurse, in the dark as regards her employment status. In an interview, she said she does not even know if she still has a contract with Integris. “I'm talking with my recruiter asking if I should be prepared to leave the state for work,” Cachero said.

Highly Trained Professionals Not An Exception

Even highly trained health care workers with experience in intensive care, the kind you would see in the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle, are having difficulty finding a steady job. An example is the case of Ben McGuire, who, according to reports, works in an Oklahoma hospital intensive care unit for two years as a contract nurse.

McGuire said that he was informed that his contract was terminated while he was on his way in for his scheduled shift. According to McGuire, he was putting on his scrubs and received a messaged that he was canceled. “It took me by surprise because we were super busy in the ICU trying to save lives,” said McGuire.

Similar Stories In Many Other Places

Similar stories have reportedly surfaced in rural communities all across America, particularly in the country’s heartland. Mountain Health Network, for instance, has laid off much of its 6,000 staff members at hospitals all over West Virginia.

In Tennessee, the Cookeville Regional Medical Center sent some 400 hospital personnel home last week and will also shorten the work hours of its other employees. The Medical University of South Carolina, on the other hand, furloughed 900 of its health workers, while the largest health system in Ohio temporarily laid-off some 700 non-medical workers.

Reports say that hospitals, particularly those in rural communities, have been following the trend of canceling all forms of elective surgeries. This is supposed to prepare them in case the coronavirus pandemic hits them. The problem with this, according to reports, is that canceling these types of surgeries are putting a huge dent in hospital finances. Dr. Mary Dale Peterson, the president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, said, “Let's be clear, elective surgeries are the lifeblood of many hospitals, if not all hospitals. They account for 50 to 60% of profits for most.”