Mercy to furlough 'thousands' of employees, cut jobs

CHESTERFIELD — Mercy said Friday that it expects to furlough workers and cut jobs due to the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The furloughs will affect "thousands" of Mercy employees, according to an email from the system's CEO, forwarded to the Post-Dispatch by an employee.

Hospitals large and small have felt the financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have canceled elective procedures in order to preserve critical supplies and limit transmission of the virus, plummeting revenues. At the same time, spending has increased, as hospitals ready themselves to treat COVID-19 patients.

Mercy and other major area hospital systems have been canceling all care that could be delayed for eight weeks or more. Mercy has only recently begun slowly adding back some canceled procedures.

Read more: https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/mercy-to-furlough-thousands-of-employees-cut-jobs/article_2f65559d-9b67-5310-b0c9-fa0802e041a3.html