Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE – Presbyterian Healthcare Services said Friday that it will lay off 35 employees – most at a subsidiary called Fluent Health.
It’s the latest sign of financial challenges at hospitals and health plans throughout New Mexico as they face increased costs amid the coronavirus pandemic and business restrictions that have hurt revenue.
“Never has there been a more critical time for us to focus all of our resources on meeting the care needs of our fellow New Mexicans than during this pandemic,” said Dale Maxwell, president and CEO of Presbyterian Healthcare Services.
In a written statement, Maxwell said the reductions won’t hit clinical staff. For the employees whose jobs were eliminated, he said, Presbyterian will pay them through May 31 and offer transition help.
“As we evaluated our priorities at this unprecedented time,” Maxwell said, “we made the difficult decision to put a hold on our goal to grow outside New Mexico through Fluent Health, a subsidiary of Presbyterian focused on health plan services.”
The eliminated jobs were all in New Mexico.
Presbyterian is a major employer in the state, with a workforce of 13,000 New Mexicans.
