New York City Hospitals May Lose 3,900 Workers

The president of New York City’s public hospitals said 3,900 jobs would need to be eliminated over the next two years if a proposed state budget is passed.

The cuts would represent 10 percent of the system’s workforce, according to the New York Times. Alan Aviles, president of the Health and Hospitals Corp., told the news paper 1,600 workers would be laid through the fiscal year June 30 and an additional 2,600 would be terminated during the next fiscal year.

The proposed cuts would be the biggest in the system since the mid-1990s, Aviles said. Some of the reductions would take place through attrition, but Aviles said its extremely likely layoffs would need to be included. He did not reveal details on the cuts, but indicated they would include closing or reducing some services and programs throughout the system.

The Wall Street Journal reported the hospital system is facing a budget deficit of between $700 million and $1 billion.