77 More Laid Off at UCI Medical Center

UCI Medical Center in Orange has completed another round of layoffs, this time affecting 77 employees, nearly a third of them nurses or respiratory therapists, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The move is part of a plan to adapt the financially struggling medical center to the cost-conscious era of managed care, officials say. It brings the total number of layoffs this year to 250, about 10% of the labor force.

“This is going to continue to be an ongoing process,” UCI spokeswoman Carolyn Carter said. It’s possible there will be other layoffs, she said, “but we are not anticipating another big wave.”

The cuts follow a loss of nearly $8 million at the medical center last fiscal year and coincide with UC Irvine’s attempts to negotiate an affiliation with one of two large for-profit hospital chains. Either Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. or Tenet Health Care Corp. is expected to be selected early next year.

The most recent layoffs, together with other cost-cutting measures, are expected to save $2.3 million per year. Thirteen of those laid off this round are respiratory therapists, and another 11 are registered nurses, Carter said. The others include supply and service staff, lab personnel and administrative support staff. No departments were eliminated.