St. Joseph hospitals lay off 40 employees in Lexington

KentuckyOne Health announced Wednesday it would be laying off 40 employees at its St. Joseph Hospital and St. Joseph East locations in Lexington, Scott Sloan of the Herald-Leader reports. The move comes less than a year after 36 employees were laid off at the St. Joseph hospital on South Broadway and four at St. Joseph East on Richmond Road.

KentuckyOne Health was formed earlier this year to operate St. Joseph Health Systems and Jewish Hospital and St. Mary’s HealthCare. Spokeswoman Barbara Mackovic said the decision was made because of “challenges in the healthcare industry,” Sloan reports. “Like most other systems, KentuckyOne Health continually monitors our patient volumes and adjusts staffing to meet those needs,” Mackovic said. “When we have growth in certain areas, we increase our staffing needs.

“Unfortunately, when we see a decrease in patient demand, we must also adjust our staff accordingly.” (Read more)