Hospitals, health care facilities feeling effects of economic downturn

New Atlanta jobs numbers show little change in health jobs, while elsewhere hospitals report cutting the number of workers.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Health Care Not The Employment Promise Land Yet
 The July jobless rate dipped one-tenth of a point from June to 10.4 percent. That was unchanged from a year earlier. So too, were the number of jobs at hospitals, nursing homes, residential care facilities and clinics across Georgia. ... The unemployed and newly frugal postpone elective surgery and other non-essential medical needs. Hospital costs for indigent care soar. Reduced Medicare and Medicaid payments hurt bottom lines. And uncertainty over the new federal health care law causes CEOs to budget cautiously (Chapman, 8/25).

Louisville Courier-Journal: Fewer Patients Prompts Jewish Hospital To Cut 155 Downtown Jobs
Jewish Hospital is eliminating 155 jobs -; cuts that hospital officials say illustrate why Jewish is merging with two other Kentucky healthcare companies. Officials are blaming the reductions on "decreased healthcare utilization and market trends," reflecting the downtown hospital's declining patient volume. They come a year and a half after Jewish eliminated 500 positions (Ungar and Howington, 8/25).

The Washington Post: Inova Health Systems Cuts Management Jobs To Reduce Costs
Inova Health System has cut 13 percent of its management jobs to reduce costs, a spokesman for the Northern Virginia company said this week. Inova, which operates five hospitals and is one of the Washington region's largest health systems, said it cut 117 senior and mid-level jobs across all its hospitals (Sun, 8/25).

New Hampshire Public Radio: Hospital In Dover Cuts Staff
Wentworth-Douglass has joined the ranks of New Hampshire hospitals that have downsized their staffs in recent months. ... 37 employees lost their jobs ... Wentworth-Douglass is one of ten hospitals suing the state over cuts to Medicaid (Samuels, 8/24).