Banner Health, Arizona’s largest health system, to implement pay cuts and furloughs – By Stephanie Innes (Arizona Republic) / April 20 2020
Phoenix-based Banner Health, which is Arizona’s largest private employer, will impose “short-term” furloughs and pay cuts for some employees, company officials confirmed Monday.
Other major hospitals and hospital systems have announced similar cost-cutting reductions for employees in response to changing economic conditions and state policies related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Banner Health, which has approximately 43,000 employees in Arizona, is starting the furloughs this week. The non-profit company anticipates that the measures will affect 5% to 7% of its workforce, or up to 3,000 Arizona employees. The company says the furloughs are temporary and employees will be eligible for unemployment benefits, including an extra $600 per week provided by Arizona via the federal CARES Act.
“This program is being implemented based upon workload and, while on this status, team members will have their medical, dental and vision benefit premiums paid in full by Banner,” the company said in a statement. “For many team members, this may be just be two weeks long as we anticipate work may increase in many areas in the coming weeks.”
While Banner said some employees are extremely busy addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, elective surgeries and non-life-threatening procedures are on hold, which for some health care workers means fewer patients and a reduction in work.
Continue to article: https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/health/2020/04/20/banner-health-implement-pay-cuts-and-furloughs-arizona-coronavirus-covid-19/5165992002/
