By David Singleton, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Jul. 2–Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre employees who learned last week their jobs will be eliminated in September are now learning something else.
Their skills are in demand.
In newspapers ads this week and a direct mail effort that will follow, Mercy Health Partners is making an aggressive pitch for soon-to-be-displaced nurses and other employees who worked at the hospital when it was known as Mercy Wilkes-Barre to rejoin the Mercy organization.
Other area health care facilities have also been quick to recognize the cutbacks at South Wilkes-Barre as a chance to plug critical staffing holes.
“Given the size of our health care system and the diverse opportunities for professionals and other employees, we would always have openings for talented, experienced people,” said Jim Carmody, vice president of human resources for Wyoming Valley Health Care System.
Geisinger said Thursday it will cut about 400 jobs at South Wilkes-Barre as it restructures services there and at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. Of the jobs that will be eliminated, approximately 170 are in nursing, 100 are technicians or aides, and the rest are support staff and maintenance, Geisinger spokesman Dave Jolley said.
Mercy Health Partners views the shake-up as an opportunity to welcome back former employees dispossessed when Mercy sold the Wilkes-Barre hospital to Geisinger in 2005 but who are still passionate about the Mercy ministry, said John M. Starcher Jr., interim president and CEO.
Between its hospitals in Scranton and Nanticoke, Mercy has more than 100 openings in a variety of positions.
“To the extent we can create a win-win out of this and fill our needs with former Mercy employees, I can’t think of anything better than that,” Mr. Starcher said.
Mercy is sweetening its invitation by offering former employees credit for their previous years of service with the organization, which can affect a worker’s salary, pension, vacation accrual and tuition reimbursement.
Community Medical Center has been in touch with the human resources department at South Wilkes-Barre and “will be working with them in accommodating some of these (displaced) employees,” spokeswoman Jane Gaul said.
Hazleton General Hospital is inviting South Wilkes-Barre workers to an open house July 16. Although the event was scheduled before last week’s announcement, the timing will work out well for the hospital, which has more than 25 open nursing positions, said Jim Edwards, CEO of the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance.
“We are looking at this as an opportunity for us to fill some vacant positions and provide some people who aren’t going to have jobs an opportunity … to join a successful team,” Mr. Edwards said.
Daniel J. West, Ph.D., associate professor and chairman of health administration and human resources at the University of Scranton, said displaced workers whose specialities are in high demand — nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists — will be snatched up quickly.
Others will have a more difficult search for employment, especially at a time when no hospitals in Northeastern Pennsylvania are truly expanding, he said.
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