Palms of Pasadena Hospital cuts staff by 5 percent

SOUTH PASADENA

Palms of Pasadena, one of 15 hospitals run by a Tennessee company, has trimmed its staff by 5 percent.

At least 25 staffers have lost jobs this year as the for-profit hospital reduces its labor costs, a spokeswoman said.

Palms of Pasadena routinely reviews staffing ratios and makes adjustments, she said.

"It's a great hospital. Things are doing very well there. It's business as usual," said Joanie Brady, corporate director of marketing for Iasis Healthcare.

The hospital shed the equivalent of about 25 full-time staffers through unfilled vacancies, firings and layoffs, Brady said. Most of the loss was among support staff, not clinical positions.

"These adjustments have no effect on patient care or the services the hospital offers," she said.

Palms, which has 307 beds, offers comprehensive services including emergency care. On average, it employs 465 people, Brady said.

Last week, Iasis Healthcare announced a stock repurchase of $120 million by its parent company, funded by excess cash. The repurchase "speaks to our financial strength and competitive positioning," said David White, Iasis chairman and chief executive officer.

Brady said she wasn't aware of any staffing changes at Iasis' other bay area hospitals, Town & Country and Memorial Hospital of Tampa.

All three bay area Iasis hospitals rated 51 out of 100 on the most recent Consumer Reports patient survey, released in September. The highest-rated local hospital, Morton Plant in Clearwater, rated 71 out of 100. The lowest-rated, Northside in St. Petersburg, rated 39.

Becky Bowers can be reached at bbowers@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8859. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/bbowerstimes.