On April 15, we shared with you the formidable financial challenges facing the University and Medical Center and outlined a number of austerity measures, including the potential for staff furloughs. After exhausting other alternatives for cost savings, it is now painfully apparent that a temporary workforce reduction will be necessary at URMC.
Throughout URMC, managers are working with Human Resources to put together cost-reduction/furlough plans for their areas. After being submitted this week, plans will be reviewed by leadership for decision, and affected employees will be notified by May 8. Furloughs will begin as early as May 10. We recognize that anticipation leading up to these changes may be difficult, however we want to be transparent about the actions we need to take and keep you informed of the timeline.
At the same time, now that we are at a prolonged steady state in the COVID-19 outbreak, we have begun to increase our volumes by recalling those patients whose care was delayed. This is absolutely the right thing to do medically, and it will also mean that we can begin to gradually recall staff. We are hopeful that most employees will be able to return within three to four months as operations return to normal, although it is impossible to predict given the uncertain nature of the outbreak.
We would never ask our workforce to make this sacrifice unless it was absolutely necessary. Out of respect for your personal planning, we felt it necessary to share this news.
URMC CEO Mark Taubman, M.D. and CFO Adam Anolik