OXNARD : St. John’s Laying Off Total of 51 Workers

Officials of St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, which began laying off workers this week, said Friday the hospital plans to let go a total of 40 full-time and 11 part-time employees and that others will have their hours reduced.

The layoffs were prompted by the hospital’s recent announcement that it anticipates a $5-million shortfall in its $50-million budget for the new fiscal year.

“We believe we’ve met the $5-million target doing this and other things,” said Charles Padilla, vice president of human resources for St. John’s. “It’s been a difficult week for everyone.”

Hospital officials declined to say how many employees had actually been let go this week.

To help employees cope with the job loss and find new employment, the hospital held three seminars earlier this week and is planning another for those people who could not attend, Padilla said.

In addition to the layoffs, Padilla said, the hospital has eliminated at least a dozen vacant positions, including nurses, food service workers and a physical therapist. He said medical technicians, rather than licensed nurses, will carry out duties that do not require extensive medical knowledge.

Padilla said the hospital will try to hire back some of the laid-off employees if positions become available in the future.

“Things can change overnight in health care,” he said. “If a position comes open we’ll look to them first before going outside.”