Mount Carmel Health System said it will eliminate 300 positions from its payroll. The cuts include an unspecified number of layoffs.
Claus von Zychlin, the hospital system's chief executive officer, called the cuts "painful" and blamed the bad economy.
"There's never a good way to do this," he said. "We're trying to be as good a citizen-partner as we can."
The jobs will be cut through attrition; consolidating some services that are currently offered its four Mount Carmel hospitals; transferring workers from the hospital to separate for-profit, joint ventures; and layoffs.
None of the targeted positions will affect patient care and come at all levels of the hospital system, including eliminating some management positions.
Von Zychlin would not give a break down of the affected jobs - where they are in the health system or how many workers will be unemployed by the end of February.
Affected employees were told in person beginning yesterday.
Healthcare had been seen as a recession-proof industry, but as the economy worsens, hospitals have seen a dip in patient volume as people put off elective procedures to save money.
And as more people lose their jobs across the workforce, the hospital charity care and bad debt are increasing.
"We don't have a count, but we definitely do know that there are a number of hospitals that are feeling the effects of the economic downturn," said Caroline Steinberg, vice president for trends analysis at the American Hospital Association.
"And some have ended up having to do staff layoffs."
Mount Carmel's decision to make cuts comes after hospital leaders reduced spending in other areas, including travel, supplies and vendor contracts.
Despite today's announcement, the 8,800-employee health system is financially sound, von Zychlin said. He expects the economy to get worse before it gets better.
"This is also more about what we see coming down the pike and there's nothing derailing this process in the next year, two years," he said. "The general economy has not hit rock (bottom) yet."
The health system operates four hospitals - Mount Carmel West and Mount Carmel East, both in Columbus; Mount Carmel St. Ann's, in Westerville; and the Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital in New Albany - as well as numerous outpatient facilities, urgent-care centers and medical offices.
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