TAUNTON – Morton Hospital and Medical Center on Thursday announced plans to close its Transitional Care Unit and Occupational Health Services program in the next two or three months, effectively eliminating 43 jobs.
According to a news release, the hospital is struggling with rising costs, including paying ongoing pension obligations, equipment and facility investments and sustaining program growth at the hospital.
Hospital executives additionally cited a decline in reimbursements from private health insurers, Medicare and Medicaid in their decision to close the two units.
“While we regret having to make these changes, difficult decisions have to be made to protect the hospital’s long-term viability,” said Cara Hart, vice president of Administrative Services for Morton Hospital.
Morton said it planned to provide transitional benefits to the 43 affected workers. The hospital will also implement an external hiring freeze to allow the workers to apply for other positions with the hospital.
The hospital is also making preparations to ensure that patients will be able to receive the care they need once the two units have closed.
“We have already begun to reach out to other nearby providers that can offer similar quality services to patients in the community,” Hart said. “The hospital continues to look for other cost reductions that don’t impact the core services we offer the community to address short term financial needs.”
Additional information is available at www.mortonhospital.org.
