Just over a month after CEO Ron Gagnon announced that Grand River Hospital would be expecting 50 layoffs, it appears that the process has begun.
A source told CTV on Tuesday that 25 full-time registered nurses and 15 part-time ones have or will be cut.
Gagnon did not confirm these numbers at the public board of directors meeting, saying that the numbers seemed high.
He said that three people had left by accepting layoffs, one of which was a nurse. He added that there had been a number of early retirements, and eight of those were nurses.
Everyone else, he says, had been deployed in different places within the hospital.
A follow-up statement from the Ontario Nurses' Association, however, says that 40 nursing positions had been eliminated within the hospital, including diabetic educators and lactation consultants.
“It is very clear – cutting registered nurses from in-patient surgery, the adult mental health unit, renal and adult surgical units and geriatrics hurts patient care,” said ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN in a statement.
It’s not known how many of these positions are retirements and won't be filled.
There was no word on what other positions have or will be impacted.
The hospital is dealing with a projected $7.4 million deficit for 2019, citing inflation and a $66 million patient electronic information system.
Another $12 million is needed in either revenue or reductions over the next three years.
A spokesperson for Grand River Hospital was not available to comment.
