LEWISTON – As part of an ongoing effort to trim operating costs, Central Maine Medical Center is cutting 30 positions.
The cuts were made Jan. 27. Charles Gill, vice president of public affairs, said between 10 and 15 people will actually be laid off; the others are expected to find other positions within the health-care system. CMMC employs about 1,700 people.
“We were able to lower costs last year, and we have had no price increase this year, so we are lowering our costs of providing care,” said Gill.
The hospital’s long-term strategy has been to selectively reduce the size of its work force through attrition to help reach its financial goals. But employee turnover has remained low, forcing the layoffs, he said. These are the first significant layoffs in more than a year.
Gill said all the positions are in the support and nonclinical departments of the hospital, and they are a mix of hourly and supervisory jobs.
He said the hospital still struggles with underpayments from both Medicaid and Medicare. According to a statement by Charles Orne, chief financial officer at the hospital, the payments continue to squeeze the hospital.
“While we are providing care for an increasing number of patients covered by these government programs, payment for our services is falling further behind,” said Orne. “This is a major problem for all health-care providers in Maine that we hope the Legislature will address this session.”
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