New layoffs coming to Insight Trumbull

One week after pausing non-emergency admissions, a new round of job cuts is now expected for employees at Insight Trumbull Medical Center. 

Representatives for both AFSCME Council 8 tell 21 News details are still emerging, but that there will be a series of meetings with Insight to discuss the moves over the next few days. 

Deb Bindas, Regional Director for AFSCME Council 8, said there's not much she can say about the layoffs yet, as the union is still gathering information. 

"We are in meetings with local leadership with Insight over the next couple of days. We will be able to ascertain numbers after those meetings," Bindas said. 

"We had an emergency meeting with Insight last week where they let us know there would be major changes to the hospital and that it would result in reductions," explained Chrissy Lewis, Coordinator with SEIU 1199. "Insight does have the right to do layoffs but this is a big deal to everyone involved. We want our hospital to survive."

Documents obtained by 21 News through sources that were distributed to both AFSCME and SEIU 1199 show a total of 164 employees who could be affected by the layoffs, including 88 registered nurses. 

It's not clear if those numbers are final. Bindas did say that they would not affect Hillside Rehabilitation Center, only Insight Trumbull. 

"They've all been so traumatized with everything with Steward and then to go through this," explained Lewis. "According to our contract, our workers get three weeks notice but they can pay them out that notice if they want to. Insight came in and bought us and I dont know that they totally realized what they were walking into."

Insight took ownership of the hospital after it was slated for closure by former owner Steward Health as part of its bankruptcy. 

Insight did not, however, take ownership of the actual buildings, which remain owned by Medical Properties Trust, the health-industry landlord that often enters into deals to lease hospital buildings to operators. Their ownership of Steward's hospital buildings, as well as other systems around the country, have come under scrutiny over the terms of the agreements, which often involve high rent payments that some hospital systems have been unable to meet. 

After initially being met with celebration upon taking over with promises of expanded services and improved patient care, the hospital suddenly ceased all non-emergency admissions last week, citing a change in Steward's bankruptcy proceedings in which Steward sold its management services to a third-party company. 

Insight claims that move came as a surprise and that it "imposed millions in overhead costs and prevented millions more in revenue from reaching local hospitals. Following a bankruptcy court order, Steward is now selling their management functions to another third party with even greater costs to cover their debts without Insight's consent." 

"Insight's hands are tied because they dont have the money," said Maureen Tkacik, Investigations Editor with The American Prospect. "This hospital was never sold in any kind of sustainable way. My sources estimate MPT is making about $600 million in cash flow every year."

Lewis stated the employees on the chopping block would go in order of seniority. She said dozens of employees recently came from Sharon Regional Medical Center, but their jobs at Insight Trumbull could be on the line.

"Everybody has the short end of the stick on this one," Tkacik added. "Is Tenor going to be able to sustain that hospital? It's an identical situation between Sharon and Warren. Maybe employees could consider Cleveland Clinic. These hospitals are not built to last. At this point, I view this as a failure of the State of Ohio and the State of Pennsylvania."

That change is significant because Insight says they'd been working with Steward on a conversion plan that was to be phased in over several months, meaning Insight was still partially beholden to Steward's financial problems. 

A spokesperson for Insight Trumbull issued a statement saying: