On Wednesday, November 8, Drew Memorial Health Systems
experienced what has been referred to as, “a healthy staff
reduction.” As expected, rumors and varying stories filled many
text messages and social media posts across Drew County and
the surrounding area.
During a report to the Quorum Court, DMHS Chief Executive
Officer Scott Barrilleaux was confronted by the County Collector
Tonya Loveless with the question, “Why were there 40 nurses
who lost jobs, when he said no nurses would be fired whenever
Baptist became involved?”
Barrilleaux clarified that he had never actually said that, and that
while 40 employees lost their jobs, not all of
them were nurses. He then read the following statement
released by Baptist Health:
"Leadership teams at Drew Memorial Health System (DMHS)
and Baptist Health, are working together to identify areas where
labor efficiencies can be gained at DMHS. A significant
number of positions are being reduced (over 40). The
individuals impacted will have the opportunity to apply for
other openings across Baptist Health.a
“This is an effort to operate Drew Memorial similarly to other
Baptist Health regional facilities, and take advantage of the
scope and size of Baptist Health. This will be one of several
initiatives to operate DMH safely and more efficiently,
and continue to provide high-quality care to the community. In
December, Baptist Health will officially add Drew Memorial
Health System, which includes a 60-bed hospital, two clinics
and home health. That same month, the Monticello hospital will
become Baptist Health's 12th hospital and will be named Baptist
Health Medical Center-Drew County."
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the situation, the staff at
the Advance-Monticellonian reached out to the leadership at
Baptist Health to request a meeting so that we could gain
information and provide the facts to our community.
Chief Operating Officer Doug Weeks, Chief Marketing Officer
Lawrence Montgomery, and other members of the Baptist
Health leadership team met with Advance-Monticellonian
Publisher, Ashley Hogg and Advance-Monticellonian Editor, Jeff
McDonald on Thursday, November 16, to answer questions and
provide additional information surrounding the events of
November 18.
“We’ve heard that the number of people who lost their jobs is
anywhere from 40 to 62,” Hogg said. “Can you give us an actual
number of jobs lost?”
“The total number of employees impacted in the staff reduction
is 43,” Weeks replied.
“There have been rumors going around that 40 nurses lost their
jobs,” McDonald added. “Would you be willing to share what the
exact number is?”
“The number of RNs and LPNs that lost their job is eight, with
six of them being RNs and two being LPNs,” Weeks replied.
“The number of nurses impacted by this were very small.”
Weeks then showed a breakdown of the totals for positions that
were terminated. Aside from the six nurses, most areas of the
hospital only saw a staff reduction of one to two employees, if
any, except Patient Care Technicians, or Certified
Nurses Aides, where the total was 20. Weeks said that in most
cases, patients feel more comfortable and at ease when they
know that they are being seen by an RN or LPN rather than a
CNA, which is the reason for the drastic number of Nurses
Aides who were let go.
Weeks also added that making the decision to let anyone go
was not one that he or anyone else involved took lightly. He
said that they could have reduced everyone's hours to allow
everyone to stay employed, but in doing so, most, if not all of
the employees would have had to find secondary employment
to make ends meet. Weeks also added that all of the employees
who were terminated have the opportunity to apply for other
open jobs in the Baptist system for the next 90 days. These
employees are also able to have their PTO paid out, which they
wouldn’t if they were still employed, they qualify for COBRA
insurance, they have access to their retirement accounts, and if
they apply for another job in the system they can hire in with all
of their accrued seniority.
The leadership at Baptist also wanted to stress that everything
isn’t doom and gloom in this situation. Weeks stated that
everyone who remained employed and was making under
under-market salary received a raise. He said that this came out to
230 employees receiving raises that ranged from $2 to $10 per
hour equaling over $1 million. Employees will also have
a better retirement plan with greater contributions coming from
Baptist than what they have had in the past. They will also be
eligible for annual wage adjustments.
Weeks also added that in the future the staff at DMH will
fluctuate based on the census numbers. There will be times
when the census is up and more staff is needed. He said that in
those times, more staff will be added. On the other hand, if the
census starts to go down, they will lessen the staff to match. He
said that this is the model that Baptist has always followed, and
it has worked.
Hogg then asked what role the current DMH leadership would
take after the merger was completed. Weeks said that they
would stay on and that there would be a Hospital President
who would see to the day-to-day operations of the hospital. He
added that all areas of the hospital would begin reporting to a
centralized person in Little Rock which would help to streamline
all of the processes in the hospital. Weeks also said that
reporting to one person who oversees one department allows
them to stay on top of things a little easier.
“What is one area that you see this being the most beneficial,”
asked McDonald.
“Billing and Collections,” Weeks replied.
The last numbers reported were that DMH had billed for $48
million and only collected $15 million of that. Weeks said that
a 30 percent collection rate wasn’t ideal for any business, and
that this would be one area where a lot of focus and work would
be put in.
Weeks also wanted to ensure the citizens of Drew County that
Baptist cares deeply for the people in the area and wants to
ensure that they have quality medical services for years to
come. Weeks said that he has a special place for Monticello
and Drew County as he was born in the old hospital in the
1960’s. He also added that through Baptist, patients will have
access to equipment, technology, and experience like never
before. There will be opportunities to have a specialist in Little
Rock help diagnose a patient in Monticello via teleconferences
and many other advancements.
“The local doctors in Monticello will now be able to consult
specialists in areas such as obstetrics and more through
Telehealth,” Weeks added. “We hope to be able to keep people
in the Monticello facility as much as possible. We have met with
the team at Mainline Health Systems, and understand the Labor
and Delivery volume may rise in Drew County due to
surrounding areas closing their OB departments.”
“We also want to emphasize that all current physicians in Drew
County that wish to maintain hospital privileges will have the
right to do so, no matter if their clinic is affiliated with another
health system,” Weeks noted.
Baptist Health Systems is scheduled to complete the merger on
December 3, and a ribbon cutting will be held on-site on
Monday, December 4.
“Drew County has a beautiful hospital with great facilities, and a
great staff,” Weeks added. “We look forward to the merger and
continuing to serve the citizens of Drew County with top-notch
medical services.”
