M-Health Fairview workers hold meeting decrying layoff notices

(FOX 9) - Healthcare workers from M-Health Fairview spoke out Monday as the company sent layoff notices to hundreds of workers.

The healthcare system announced last month it would be laying off more than 400 employees at Bethesda and St. Joseph’s hospitals.  

Monday, employees held a meeting they called “Essential Not Expendable,” saying those working on the frontlines amid the COVID-19 pandemic deserve better.

Bethesda Hospital was the first coronavirus-only hospital in the state of Minnesota, but will now be repurposed by Ramsey County and turned into a shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

Layoffs will begin next month.

In a statement Monday, M-Health Fairview said it has more than 1,600 open positions and are working to place those laid off into other roles.

Here is the company’s full statement:

We currently have more than 1,600 open positions and remain committed to retaining any employees who may have been impacted by recent changes. We're providing robust services to these employees, including the roughly 70 impacted employees from SEIU, in the hopes of placing them in new roles within our health system.