Beth Israel: Newark hospital to shed 100 jobs

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Nov 25, 2008

Yup.

NBI just shut down their neonatal CT surgery program. So now we've been getting all their cases, and are busting at the seams.

SeychelleRN · Nov 26, 2008

Looks like their dental program might be on the chopping blocks as well:

The dental program and clinic at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center could be among the departments directly affected by the restructuring announced last week.

John A. Brennan, the executive director of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, said the dental clinic, which receives about 15,000 patients, would remain open through June 30, 2009. After that, Brennan said the residency program and clinic would be evaluated along with other programs in the hospital.

Brennan said the clinic could shut down "depending on the economic status of the state and charity care."

In addition to leaving patients scrambling for care, Seldin said the elimination of the dental department represents a huge institutional loss. The department has been around for more than 75 years.

''This is the most prestigious residency program in the tri-state area," Seldin said.

Newark Beth Israel Dental Program Could Be Cut

lee1 · Dec 18, 2008

well what nursing jobs did they cut???? Any???? besides the unit mentioned that was closed???

Morettia2, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2008

Since I posted this article, we have had a heck of a time on my floor. The hospital thought it was a good idea to layoff nurses from the other 2 tele units. The one tele unit is the CHF tele unit and the other tele unit is the LVAD tele unit. OMG....both of the units now have a CAP on ER admissions.These were the units that were always at 100% capacity at all times and they are both huge units, like the unit I work on. I have worked on both of those units, they are GREAT tele units with excellent nurses. These tele units are the ones that take all the Cardiac admissions, and when they were both full, the cardiac admissions would come to my floor which is interventional cardiology, CCU stepdown, and general tele.

Now they are only alowed to fill 60-70% of the beds on each unit.

Some of the nurses that worked on the 2 tele units have been re-assigned to my floor. It's so funny to watch them, I help them out as much as I can b/c they were always good to me when ever I was floated to their units. It's like total CHAOS at all times on my floor. The nurses re-assigned to my floor just have that deer in headlights look.

Some of the other nurses that were layedoff from my hospital were given the option to work at St.Barnabas Medical Center, or one of the other hospitals The St.Barnabas Network owns.

Half of the nursing directors have been laidoff, unit clerks, CNA's and MD's.

Now this is the bass ackwards part. The people who were laidoff from Newark Beth were offered jobs with at other hospitals in our health system. Newark Beth is owned my St.Barnabas Network, along with 30+ other hospitals and various other facilities. We are the largest healthcare system in NJ. Now, how come the employees that were laidoff at Newark Beth, were offered another job with in our healthcare system network. Why not JUST KEEP THEM WHERE THEY WERE.

I also know since the layoff on the other 2 tele units, that my floor has been overwhelmed with excess ER admissions. My floor has pt.s comming from all hours from the cath lab, and every M-F, there have to be enough beds to accomidate those pt's comming from the cath lab for over night admission or for OHS work up s/p cariac cath. And when we have pt's with femoral sheaths and and ccu step down pt's, and are expected to admitt 2 ER pt's in the mean time it's getting out of controll.

On average I have 6 pt's. a night. If I start out with 5 I will admitt one from the ER to make 6. We are only alloed to have 6 pt's per nurse on my floor. but recently I have been starting out with 3 pt's at the beginning of my shift at 1900, and either transferring 1 CCU pt. to my floor, and doing 2 ER admitts, ending up with 6 but with alot of confsion. My floor is the only post interventional cardiac unit in the hospital, so we, the nurses, are certified to pull femoral sheaths, no other floor does this, so when you have a pt. with a sheath you spend alot of time with that pt. The other PTCA/PCI pt's may have a closure device that the MD deployed in the cath lab, but you still have to pay close attention. AND on top of it all we are also the floor all of the pt's from the EPS lab come to s/p ICD/PPM placement.

We are also one of 2 floors that works up the pt. for OHS or heart transplant. And as of a few months ago we are also the only floor to accept pre-lung transplant pt's, b/c Newark Beth is now a heart and lung transplant center.

And now since the other 2 tele units have cut their nursing staff in half, that means my floor is experiencing all of the backlash of the nursing layoffs. We are doing double duty.

We also have had a number of CCU/CTICU/ICU nurses being pulled to my floor to just do ER admissions. This is what the other 2 tele units were for, cardiac ER admissions.

It's like total chaos. And we used to have a unit secretary at night from 11p-7a, which we never had one in the past at night and the hosp. decided to hire Unit Clerks for 11-7 this past summer. I was used to entering my own orders at night b/c we never had one before. Then we had one, infact we had 2. Who became friends of mine.

Well, the layed them off as a part of the big lay off, but now we are accepting more pt's at night then my unit has ever done. So when we really could use a unit secretary at night, we don't have one.

Now as of a few days ago, rumor has it that there are going to be another 200 layoff system wide....

Ahhhh....so that's what's going on as a result of the layoffs...

Dee_PICRN · Dec 30, 2008

I haven't worked there in over a year, actually I think I got out at the right time. I worked in the PICU. I know that there have been a lot of lay offs in the PICU and in PEDS. I am not sure if they offered those people positions in other hospitals or not. They completely shut down Peds cardiac surgery. As of now I don't think there is anywhere in NJ to for Peds open heart surgery. Unless RWJ started doing surgery again??

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Dec 31, 2008

I haven't worked there in over a year, actually I think I got out at the right time. I worked in the PICU. I know that there have been a lot of lay offs in the PICU and in PEDS. I am not sure if they offered those people positions in other hospitals or not. They completely shut down Peds cardiac surgery. As of now I don't think there is anywhere in NJ to for Peds open heart surgery. Unless RWJ started doing surgery again??

All I know is we've been getting a LOT of neonatal open heart cases from NBI. Business is booming here at Columbia. I'm sure CHOP is getting slammed too....