Tower Health furloughs 1,000 workers
WEST READING » Tower Health has begun furloughing full-time employees in response to the economic impact of the ongoing spread of the coronavirus on the health system.
In an announcement Tuesday, Reading Health said it is furloughing 1,000 workers in a range of support, administrative and technical areas.
Employees of the health system were told about the decision on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman for Tower Health, who added that the furloughs are effective Wednesday, April 22.
“This decision has been extremely difficult. Every employee at Tower Health is critical to fulfilling our promise of Advancing Health. Transforming Lives. and we regret that these extraordinary circumstances have forced us to take these measures,” Tower Health Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Therese Sucher wrote in a memo to employees.
She added that Tower Health believes the furlough
“will be temporary.”
Because of the pandemic Tower Health has been forced to suspend non-urgent and elective services; close many of its outpatient facilities, departments and clinics; and postpone many internal projects to allocate resources to respond to patient and community needs related to the virus, according to the release.
The health system also cites declining revenue —
estimated at 40% to 50% — along with increased expenses related to its COVID-19 response as driving the decision to furlough employees.
The challenges are impacting other health systems across the commonwealth, leading others to furlough staff as well, the company said.
The spokeswoman could provide specific information about the breakdown of employee furloughs at each Tower Health facility.
The Berks Countybased Tower Health owns seven of the region’s hospitals
including Brandywine Hospital in Caln Township, Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia, Jennersville Hospital in Penn Township in southern Chester County, Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown and Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville — which were acquired in 2017 — as well as Reading Hospital in West Reading and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, a partnership of Tower Health and Drexel University in Philadelphia.
“We understand how difficult furloughs may
be for our impacted employees and their families. We do believe this furlough will be temporary and we look forward to the return of regular operations as soon as is safely possible,” Sucher added.
In the press release, the health system outlined a number of steps it is taking to support employees in the weeks to come. For example:
• Impacted employees will have access to all their accrued Earned Time Off (ETO) and Income Protection Time (IPT) that can be used during the furlough period.
• For furloughed employees covered under a Tower Health benefits plan, coverage will be maintained during the furlough period.
• Furloughed employees may be placed into a systemwide labor pool and offered alternative work assignments based on their experience and skillset as needs within the organization arise.
• Tower Health will not contest any employee’s application for unemployment benefits, as long as the employee remains available for recall and does not turn down a work assignment(s).
In addition to its seven hospitals, Tower Health includes Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing; Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences in West Reading; home healthcare services provided by Tower Health at Home; and a network of 22 urgent care facilities across the Tower Health service area. Tower Health offers healthcare and wellness services to a population of 2.5 million people.