UCSF to lay off about 200 employees amid ‘serious financial challenges’

(KRON) — Approximately 200 University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) healthcare employees are being laid off, the university announced in a press release Wednesday. UCSF called it a difficult but necessary decision to combat “serious financial challenges” the hospital is facing.

“We are deeply grateful for their contributions. Impacted employees will receive full UC benefits, including severance and support with career transition,” UCSF said in the release. “While this is a difficult decision, it was necessary to maintain financial stability and continue to deliver the many vital healthcare services we provide in San Francisco and across the Bay Area.

UCSF did not specify which campus employees would be affected by the layoffs. The employees affected make up about 1% of the workforce, according to UCSF. The layoffs come as UCSF said it has dealt with rising operational costs.

According to UCSF, about a quarter of the layoffs were part-time/per-diem employees and about half were in management.

University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), a union representing thousands of healthcare professionals in California, called for UCSF to “immediately reinstate all laid-off workers and course correct as a public institution.”

“We were already short-staffed, and layoffs mean our patients will face delays in necessary care from their providers. As a physical therapist working with patients in the neurologic and cardiopulmonary intensive care units, my patients don’t have the luxury of waiting,” Dana Loebman said in UPTE’s press release. “As much as my heart is broken to lose my job, I am also incredibly concerned for my patients and the care they deserve.”

Loebman was a physical therapist at UCSF who was laid off.

UCSF has five main medical centers in San Francisco: Parnassus, Mount Zion, Mission Bay, Saint Francis Hospital, and St. Mary’s Hospital. The healthcare system also has outposts and partner clinics in Marin County, San Mateo, Redwood City and Berkeley.

Workers represented by UPTE plan to rally on Friday and speak out against the layoffs at the UCSF campus on 505 Parnassus Ave. The rally is from noon to 1 p.m., and other healthcare unions are expected to join.