Southwest Health System

Jun 15, 2023

Kelly Gooch - Thursday, June 15th, 2023 Cortez, Colo.-based Southwest Memorial Hospital laid off nine people amid efforts to keep its birthing center open, The Journal reported June 14. Southwest Health System announced earlier in June that the hospital would temporarily shutter its family birthing center beginning July 1. The health system attributed this decision to financial and "manpower" difficulties. A June 14 news release said the health system plans to reopen the services at a later time, and nine staff members were laid off to help keep the birthing center open or to reopen it earlier than originally planned, according to The Journal. "Southwest Health System continues to be proactive and make decisions necessary to sustain the hospital for the future and provide essential healthcare services to our community," the release said, according to the newspaper. "As part of service line changes, we have reduced our workforce by nine staff members. Earlier, SHS announced a pause on labor and delivery services, and the plan is to reopen those services at a later time." According to The Journal, Shirley Jones, chair of the Southwest Memorial Hospital's board of directors, said, "We are ensuring that we are staffed appropriately to provide quality care in a timely manner for the services we offer. Quality healthcare services are vital to this community." Southwest Health System spokesperson Chuck Krupa told The Journal the layoffs included administrative workers and that no bedside care positions were affected. Residents and employees of Southwest Memorial Hospital had raised concerns about how the decision to temporarily shutter the birthing center would affect women and local healthcare, according to The Journal. The newspaper reported that a meeting is scheduled at the hospital's ambulance bay on June 15 to address concerns from residents. Becker's reached out to the hospital and will update the story if more details become available.