Dallas (WBAP/KLIF News) – Parkland Hospital is making changes to the way it does things, in the wake of staff layoffs made after the federal government cut Medicaid funding by about $40 million.
Executive Vice President Jim Dunn told the Dallas County Commissioners’ court they were careful to make sure the layoffs reflected their racial and ethnic makeup.
“We celebrate our diversity,” said Dunn. “But unfortunately, when difficult things like this happen, there are groups that will be impacted. Particularly if you’re looking at non-management groups, if you’re looking at those groups that are not at the bedside.”
Commissioner John Wiley price was concerned that blacks made up too high a percentage of those who lost jobs. Dunn pointed out that the hospital’s percentage minority employees is the same as before the layoffs were made.
As for how the funding cuts and layoffs have affected staffing, Parkland’s President and CEO, Dr. Frederick Cerise, told the Court they wouldn’t make any cuts to the clinical services staff, but other cuts had slowed some service down.
“Things like Oncology, where we have to get people in, we’re able to get people in,” said Cerise. “There are some other specialty areas where we may have several months of wait, which we are not happy with. But we tried to make sure we get the highest priority, highest urgency patients met in the most timely fashion.”
Cerise also addressed a message sent by an employee who had been laid off, telling vendors the hospital was abandoning its supplier diversity program. He explained that the message was not true, and the same former employee had done other things like deleting important forms from the hospital’s server, and copying files and records to her personal computer.
Dunn told Commissioners they were working with the Black Chamber of Commerce and other community groups to ensure everyone knew the award-winning diversity program continued.
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