San Pedro Hospital Layoffs

San Pedro Peninsula Hospital, as expected, laid off 12 full-time employees and eight part-time workers last week, and reduced the hours of 19 other people, said hospital President John Wilson.

In addition, five unfilled jobs were eliminated and four people were transferred to other positions. The actions Thursday, which will save the hospital $1.1 million, are part of a previously announced plan to eliminate the equivalent of 100 full-time jobs by Oct. 1. Wilson said the actions accounted for 36 of those job equivalents and affected 13 hospital departments. Employees who lost their jobs received severance pay based on length of employment.

Wilson said he hopes further reductions can be achieved “through attrition and normal turnover” without the necessity of more layoffs or reduced hours. The hospital is trying to overcome a $9-million loss in 1987 and 1988.

Since launching a program earlier this year to streamline the hospital and stem financial losses, San Pedro Peninsula has laid off a total of 129 people and reduced the hours of 45 others. Some hospital services also have been eliminated, including the family practice residency program and inpatient psychiatric services. The hospital sold its outpatient dialysis unit to a private company, which continues to operate the unit.