VENTURA : Memorial Hospital Lays Off 13 Workers

Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura laid off workers for the first time since the 1970s on Friday, dismissing 13 non-medical employees.

“These are the first layoffs in the 14 years I’ve been with the hospital,” administrator Michael D. Bakst said.

The cuts--coupled with the elimination of six vacant positions in August--are necessary because the nonprofit hospital’s operating surplus has been shrinking, Bakst said.

While the number of patients at Memorial is higher now than a year ago, patient stays have shrunk from an average of five days two years ago to 3.7 days now, he said. Patient days dropped 6% in the second quarter of 1992 from the same period the year before, reports show.

Patients’ hospital stays are shorter because of pressure from the federal government and private insurance companies to cut health costs, he said.

By laying off the 13 employees, most of whom were office workers and housekeepers, Memorial will save $268,000 a year, Bakst said. The hospital’s overall operating budget is about $60 million.