ROYAL OAK, MICH. — Beaumont Health says that the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the organization to adjust its workforce after suffering significant losses during the first quarter. After Beaumont began caring for COVID-19 patients five weeks ago, nearly all inpatient and outpatient surgeries and other non-COVID-19 medical services had to be halted. As a result, Beaumont is temporarily laying off 2,475 of its 38,000 employees. It is also permanently eliminating 450 positions and cutting executive pay. CEO John Fox will take a 70 percent temporary pay cut to his base salary. The other members of Beaumont’s executive leadership team will also take temporary pay cuts up to 45 percent of their total compensation.
Of the 2,475 layoffs, most involve hospital administrative staff and others who are not directly caring for patients. Most of the 450 position eliminations are part of the corporate staff or serving in other administrative roles. Beaumont will also pause or cancel some nonessential projects. For the first three months of 2020, Beaumont reported a net operating income of -$54.1 million, a $91.7 million decrease compared to the same time last year.
The Royal Oak-based nonprofit hospital is Michigan’s largest healthcare system. It operates eight hospitals and 145 outpatient locations with nearly 5,000 physicians.