Fairview outlines job cuts at two St. Paul hospitals set to close

A sign in front of a brick building.
Bethesda Hospital in downtown St. Paul in March. In filings with state regulators, Fairview Health Services says it'll eliminate 268 jobs at St. Joseph and another 179 at Bethesda starting Dec. 9.
Chris Juhn for MPR News file

Fairview Health Services on Friday revealed more details about job cuts at two St. Paul hospitals that it plans to close in the coming months.

The health system announced Monday that it is shutting down St. Joseph's as a hospital downtown and Bethesda Hospital, now used as COVID-19 treatment facility, near the state Capitol.

The move is part of a systemwide restructuring aimed at stemming annual losses that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated. Fairview said it lost $163 million in the first six months of this year.

In filings with state regulators, Fairview says it will eliminate 268 jobs at St. Joseph and another 179 at Bethesda starting Dec. 9.

More than 200 other full time equivalent positions are being cut at the hospitals, too, but Fairview says the exact number of jobs has yet to be determined because the employees are under union contracts.

The health system said around 900 jobs — or 3 percent of the workforce — would be affected but that employees are being encouraged to transition into some 1,200 open positions.

Fairview said Bethesda Hospital will be leased to Ramsey County to be used as a homeless shelter and St. Joseph’s downtown will become a "community hub for health and wellness."

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