Dozens protest after UC San Diego Health lays off more than 200 employees
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Dozens protest after UC San Diego Health lays off more than 200 employees
Dozens of people protested outside UC San Diego Health in La Jolla. Hundreds of employees lost their jobs in a sudden round of layoffs. Hospital says layoffs were in response to financial pressure caused by federal impacts to health care. Union representative says hospital has already been dealing with a staffing crisis that impacts patient wait times and limits appointments. “Every single one of us needs to band together to make sure that UC knows that everything that they’re doing affects our patients and it affects our staff,” Randall Turner said.
Former employees and current staff members gathered with signs and chants, expressing concerns that the staffing cuts will negatively impact patient care at the hospital.
“Any plan that I had is out the window as of right now. Pretty much everything is on hold,” said Randall Turner, a former business tech support analyst who was laid off.
Turner said hospital management informed him around 11 a.m. Monday that he was being laid off before escorting him off the property.
“I still have family I want to visit. I would like to have the money in case that time does come or for me to support everybody that is in my life,” Turner said.
Turner was one of 230 people who lost their jobs at the hospital.
“Every single one of us needs to band together to make sure that UC knows that everything that they’re doing affects our patients and it affects our staff,” Turner said.
Jon Sunada, a physical therapist and union representative for University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), said the hospital has already been dealing with a staffing crisis that impacts patient wait times and limits appointments.
“We have clinical lab scientists who, even before the layoffs, were saying that they were concerned that because staffing was so limited, the possibility of errors would be high,” Sunada said.
UC San Diego Health said in a statement that the layoffs were in response to financial pressure caused by federal impacts to health care. A spokesperson partially blamed insurance companies, citing the “rising costs of providing care combined with reimbursement rates from Medicare, Medicaid.”
Sunada questioned that response and emphasized his concerns about patient care.
“Now, since the layoffs, we’re even more concerned that this is going to impact patient care negatively,” Sunada said.
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