Sutter Amador Hospital will be laying off a handful of employees at the start of May. According to the hospital's CEO Anne Platt, without the cooperation and voluntary sacrifice of Sutter Amador employees, the staff reduction could have been more drastic.

News of the layoff came on April 2, when Platt sent out a memorandum to all Sutter Amador employees and managers announcing growing monetary troubles for the year and "financial improvement actions" meant to address them. Among the actions were a hiring freeze, a new cap on the company's wellness program for employees and a staff reduction.

"As you are aware, we are facing difficult challenges as we respond to the changing healthcare environment and struggling U.S. economy," the memorandum began. " … We have been involved in an intensive analysis regarding these economic forces and how to best manage our operating costs while maintaining our commitment to quality care through efficient operations … Despite our best efforts, Sutter Amador Hospital ended the first two months of the year $972,000 short of budget. During the last five months the hospital has lost more than 1.8 million, a trend that is unsustainable in any economy."

In a conversation with the Ledger Dispatch on Monday, Platt stressed that Sutter Amador's financial situation was not as dire as the memorandum could make it sound.

"I know people have seen a lot of businesses in Amador County close in the last few months," she said. "I don't want them to think they're in danger of losing their hospital." Platt went on to explain that January and February had not seen the same level of financial bleeding that had been a regular monthly occurrence since last fall when the stock market dropped.

The trouble on Wall Street correlated with a significant decrease in emergency room visits to Sutter Amador Hospital, as well as a decrease in elective surgeries performed there. While Platt admits it's unlikely that Amador residents suddenly stopped getting sick or needing medical treatment, she speculated that the faltering U.S. economy might be worrying some people to the point where they delay their routine health care needs in some cases.

In total, four positions were eliminated from the Sutter Amador Hospital staff: a clinical laboratory supervisor, a family nurse practitioner for Plymouth/Pioneer Family Practice, an EKG technician and an engineer 1. The hospital's education manager was also changed from a full-time position to a part-time position.

Platt said that these specific positions were targeted in an effort to minimize the impact on quality of care. "We looked at areas where we could made reductions that would affect our care in a negative way," she explained. "The reason those employees who are getting laid off were given a months notice was so they would have time to find new jobs. We will do everything we can to help find them positions to go to, whether it's in the Sutter corporation or in the community."

The staffing levels at Sutter Amador Hospital had already been a point of controversy prior to the upcoming layoffs. In 2007, a local doctor named Dennis Nousaine had openly criticized the number of employees the hospital had in the face of long waits at the emergency room and some concerns that patients were being sent home from the facility sooner than they should be. "It is the responsibility of the hospital administration (to) staff at a level that serves the need of the community," Nousaine stated in a letter at the time.

While staffing levels at the hospital have been questioned by other physicians and nurses in the community, Sutter Amador's quality of care has gotten relatively good marks in some quarters. A recent, wide-spread survey of patients in general that have been discharged from various hospitals showed Sutter Amador Hospital scoring higher on satisfaction levels than some bigger organizational facilities like Kaiser, with SAH earning a 72 percent approval rating to Kaiser's 61. These and other results from the survey can be viewed at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.

Platt emphasized that she understands the concerns that are bound to come from Amador residents over layoffs at the hospital, but pointed out that the number of jobs lost could have been much worse if not for the voluntary actions of staff.

"Basically, a lot of people who work at this hospital have volunteered for reduced hours and exchanges of schedules," she said. "They did it to help us avoid layoffs and it worked."