Hospital Laid Off 49 Employees As It Ended Mental Health Program Last Month.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Boca Post) — During a time when the world needs as much mental health support as possible, Saint Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach has ceased to offer mental health services and laid off almost 50 employees due to that change.
In a letter sent to the state in January, Saint Mary’s Medical Center, a leading healthcare provider of the Palm Beach Health Network owned by Tenet Healthcare, says that is discontinuing its mental health program.
The hospital’s mental health program was officially decommissioned last month on April 11th, 2022. The company says that the closure of the Institute of Mental Health at St. Mary’s Medical Center is permanent.
As a result of shutting down the mental health facility, amidst a mental health crisis, the company also laid off 49 employees assigned to the unit, including:
- (21) Registered Nurses
- (14) Behavioral Health Technicians
- (5) Behavioral Health Therapists
- (3) Assistant Nurse Managers
- (1) Discharge Planner
- (1) Nursing Manager
- (1) Social Work Manager
- (1) Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
- (1) Social Worker II
- (1) Recreation Therapist
Most of the positions terminated were covered by a 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East labor union.
In the same month that St. Mary’s closed the mental health unit Tenet healthcare was affected by a cyberattack that crippled its customer-facing systems on several local hospitals including St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
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