Monday morning at Little River Hospital, employees were caring for patients, taking calls and walk-ins and calling patients to cancel scheduled appointments. Nurses, technicians and staff also were waiting for the ax to fall on their jobs and all worried about the community they serve.
Maria Flores, a nurse who has been an ER and hospital nurse with the hospital for 14 years said, “We knew in July they had filed for bankruptcy Chapter 11. We just kept working, even though we didn’t feel 100-percent certain of our future here.”
Later in the day, Flores and 100 other hospital employees were laid off and the downtown clinic was closed. On Tuesday ER and medical surgery nurses and imaging and lab technicians were still working at the hospital, according to a hospital employee.
Some hospital employees asked that their names not be used and The Reporter honored their request.
“There was a seemingly endless line of patients at the front desk today coming to get their medical records,” an employee said on Monday. “It’s just an odd, end of the era Twilight Zone type feeling.”
While Flores awaited her fate on Monday, she thought about her parents.
“My heart goes out to the community, especially the older population,” she said. “My parents come in and get healthcare. It’s nice because even specialists came and they didn’t have to go out of town. It really saved a trip and it was convenient, so that’s what I’m worried about.”
She also wondered about ambulance service in Milam County. The city and county contracts out ambulance services to American Medical Response (AMR), which has three ambulances stationed in Rockdale, Cameron and Milano to cover the entire county.
“There are three for the entire county,” Flores said. “If there are multiple calls or a major accident, what’s going happen if someone is having a heart attack or a stroke? That’s what I’m afraid for the future for the community.”
COMMUNITY—Repeatedly, hospital employees focused on the health of the community rather than their own plight.
“We’re in the business of taking care of people,” said another employee. “You just don’t walk out on your job,” Flores said, “I’ve taken care of thousands of patients through the years here. It’s going to be super hard to walk away. I’m just praying that God has a plan and that someone is going to come and reopen the hospital under new ownership. Hopefully, we can all apply again in the future.”
Friday, administrators called a hospital-wide meeting to inform the staff about the closure of the hospital, which was set for Friday, Dec. 8.
Administrators explained the situation through their own tears and reaction to the news was immediate, employees said. Some cried while others shouted. Many wanted to know if they would be paid, according to employees.
“We are working diligently with our secured lender to ensure that all accrued payroll is paid to employees and believe we will be able to get this accomplished,” according to a Little River Employee memo email obtained by The Reporter.
The memo also stated that workers will not be paid their paid time off leave and their health insurance will be terminated when the hospital closes.
“In that event, COBRA (insurance) will not be able to be offered to employees post-closure. In addition, we cannot guarantee that any pending insurance claims will be paid post-closure. Therefore, employees should plan for alternative healthcare coverage.”
WORKFORCE—Tuesday morning both rooms at the Central Texas Workforce Center were filled with the 100 hospital employees that were laid off on Monday, according to Julia Cardona, business service representative.
“This is not our first rodeo. We’ve been through this with the Alcoa and Luminant shutdowns,” she said. “That’s why we put together folders with information. People are processing a lot of information and dealing with the initial shock. They’re getting a lot thrown at them, which is why we tell them to come back after they have processed everything and we can help them with the unemployment application process.”
The center has scheduled orientations to apply for unemployment benefits and Work in Texas registration for Monday. See page 2A.
Some employees like Flores, started sending out resumes when they first heard about the financial problems at the hospital. She will be working at Renaissance Villa on a part-time basis.
“They’re building their new facility but it won’t be open for a year,” she said. “I think because I put in my application in August they still had it on file so I’ll be coming in this week to do orientation there. I’m going to do RN coverage on the weekends.”
ALCOA—Some hospital workers, who were part of the 2008 Alcoa shutdown, trained for careers in healthcare when the plant closed its doors.
“I’ve been down this road before, so I feel more prepared than when I left Alcoa,” said Clay Hirt, who was a mechanic at Alcoa when it closed and trained to become a nurse. “There wasn’t another Alcoa plant that I could go down the road to, so it was a little bit different for me this time. I’ll make do. It won’t be the same as working three minutes from my house. That was one of the pluses working here. I was able to make school events and stuff. That was always nice.”
Hirt said leaving Rock-dale was not an option for he and his family. Like Hirt, his wife, Tisha, was born and raised in Rockdale and their children Aiden and Emerson attend Rockdale schools.
After the Alcoa layoffs, Hirt changed his career and attended Temple College, graduated and became a pre- and post-op nurse. He has been with the hospital for seven years.
Another hospital employee who was also affected by the Alcoa shutdown said, “I’ve been through this with my husband. He lost his job with Alcoa and we know what this is like, but I was willing to stay. I was willing to stay knowing all the scares and everything. I believe in who I work with and in this community and in helping.”
Recalling the Alcoa shutdown Hirt said, “It seems like that’s when this thing comes about is during the holidays. What we need is a Christmas miracle.”
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