Several unions representing the hundreds of Insight healthcare workers are working to fight mass furloughs at all of Insight's locations throughout Mahoning and Trumbull County. 

The furlough announcement comes after Insight announced it is pausing almost all services amid Steward's bankruptcy woes. Unions are now scrambling to figure out those next steps. 

"This is a situation where it's kind of out of everybody's hands," explained Chrissy Lewis, Coordinator with SEIU District 1199.

Unions spent the day negotiating with Insight's Human Resources department, learning hundreds of staff could be furloughed as early as next Monday, March 31.

"We were hoping to maybe decrease the number of furloughs but that didn't look like that was going to happen," Lewis said. "We negotiated the terms of the furloughs. I represent 145 members at Insight Trumbull and I'm expecting the majority of my workers to get furlough letters."

Lewis said negotiations ended without any answers or agreements and that they're still currently negotiating the terms of the furloughs. Unions are expected to receive an official list of departments that will be getting furloughed on Wednesday. 

"That list is expected to be released by Wednesday afternoon," Lewis told 21 News. "At that time, we will know exactly who is impacted. We will then demand to bargain the list and will schedule that negotiation."

While Insight Trumbull's emergency department remains open, union reps with Hillside believe the facility will close in the coming days, impacting about 200 employees. Sources employed at Hillside believe security and maintenance staff would be the only positions not impacted. 

"We've been told to report business as usual and keep coming until management tells us not to," explained De Anna Fuchilla, Chair of the Hillside Nurses Association. "The atmosphere at work is somber with all of the uncertainty."

"We have a lot of staff who have been here for years and decades," explained Marisa Galvan, Unit Clerk with Rehabilitation Hospital Hillside." It's making it very difficult to remain loyal to this company which really hasn't shown any loyalty to us or to the community."

Galvan is also a member of the Executive Board of Directors with AFSCME.

21 News spoke with nurses wanting to remain anonymous at Insight Trumbull. They say they've heard some employees are taking an early retirement. Some say they have families and can't resign because they are living paycheck to paycheck. They're now looking for new work.

One ER nurse at Insight Trumbull tells 21 News patients are already being transferred. From a lack of communication to a financial scramble, they say the experience is like a nightmare they can't wake up from.

"We have a lot of staff members who are dedicated and planned on sticking this out," explained Lewis. "But they are not going to be able to survive on unemployment."

"Everything is still up in the air," Galvan added. "The furloughs could be 6 months, they could be a 9-month. Is it a lay-off or is it a furlough? We have no information. We have not received any type of call or statement on what our next move should be. One minute we are told that we are completely fine and then next minute there is a town hall meeting in 25 minutes about our jobs. When the transition occurred, Insight sold a great story and they gave us hope. Unfortunately, nothing as come through and its been very uncertain."

Further negotiations will be scheduled after the list of furloughs is been released.