Sturgis Hospital job cuts a sign of the times

by Samuel King (king@wsbt.com)

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Sturgis Hospital has announced it will lay off 30 employees and close three clinics in Michigan and Indiana

Sturgis Hospital has announced it will lay off 30 employees and close three clinics in Michigan and Indiana. (WSBT photo)

By WSBT News1

Story Created: Mar 19, 2008 at 4:53 PM EST

Story Updated: Mar 26, 2008 at 10:30 AM EST

STURGIS — Tough economic times are forcing a local hospital to make tough decisions. Sturgis Hospital will lay off 30 employees and close three clinics in Michigan and Indiana. The hospital says the moves will save about $1 million a year.

Howe Restaurant sits a few miles across the state line from Sturgis.

Over lunch, many people have discussed the layoffs at Sturgis Hospital and the planned closing of clinics in LaGrange County, Constantine/White Pigeon, Mich. and Bronson, Mich.

“It's a sad thing,” said Phillip Curtis, president of the LaGrange County Commission. “Sturgis Hospital has been there forever. I was born at Sturgis Hospital, because at the time we didn't have a LaGrange Hospital.”

“The economic conditions on the state and local level are having a dramatic impact on patient volume and payor mix, which ultimately affects operations,” said Rob LaBarge, CEO of Sturgis Medical Group. “Though we cannot control these factors, we must still respond to them by reevaluating our budget expectations."

The issues facing hospitals in smaller communities are not unique to Sturgis. At the Community Hospital of Bremen, they're finding away to provide affordable and accessible health care to people who live in the area.

President and CEO Scott Graybill says community support helped pay for the new hospital building, which is just two years old.

“As a community, we're fighting real hard to have local health services available. It's also a boost to our economy to have about 150 folks employed here at the hospitals,” Graybill said.

Back in Howe, Phillip Curtis said people will adjust to the loss of the clinic, but it won’t be easy.

"The price of gas and everything, to make people drive in from Bronson and Constantine and Howe to another facility, that adds on to the cost of having your health taken care of,” Curtis said.

Parkview LaGrange Hospital has opened a medical center in Howe that could fill some of the void. The Sturgis Medical Group clinics will close April 18.

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