>https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/detroit-medical-center-furloughs-480-teams-members-amid-covid-19-outbreak

Detroit Medical Center furloughs 480 team members amid COVID-19 outbreak

By: Fatima BanguraPosted at 9:23 AM, Apr 15, 2020 and last updated 9:31 AM, Apr 15, 2020

DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Medical Center announced Wednesday 480 team members have been furloughed in an attempt to reduce costs amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The center says with resources redirected to COVID-19 care, some hospital units not related to the virus have been temporarily closed or ramped down. These steps meant reducing costs, hours worked and furloughing certain jobs.

All furloughed employees will be provided medical benefits support consist with their elections at no cost to them. Affect employees will be provided information on accessing "salary protection through state unemployment benefits available to them", according to DMC.

DMC's Chief Executive Officer Audrey Gregory, Ph.D., R.N. released this statement regarding staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic:

We remain on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, working together with our communities in Detroit to see this through. With stay-at-home orders and government restrictions on elective procedures, some hospital units – which are not related to the COVID-19 crisis or other critical patient care needs – have been temporarily closed or ramped down. We have taken steps to divert additional resources to COVID-19 care and other urgent medical procedures that cannot be deferred. This includes reducing costs, and hours worked, and implementing furloughs of certain jobs, where needed. This furlough impacts approximately 480 team members.

We are providing all furloughed employees with medical benefits support consistent with their elections and at no cost to them, covering the employee and employer contributions of premiums for medical, employee/spouse critical illness and supplemental life during this time. In addition, we are offering information to impacted employees so that they may access salary protection through enhanced state unemployment benefits that are available to them. For many roles, these benefits could provide eligible individuals with a significant majority of their income as a replacement.

Our expectation is that we can return impacted staff to service once we navigate through this unprecedented time and our core business gets back to normal. These actions do not impact direct bedside nursing care for COVID-19 and do not impact emergency or medically necessary care access for patients with other medical conditions. We remain appropriately staffed to provide our full support to treat patients in greater Detroit.