Those layoffs will take place in Worcester, Webster, and Leominster between June 30 and July 6.
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The number of projected layoffs at the closing Community Healthlink affiliate of UMass Memorial Health has increased, as the healthcare provider has made progress in transitioning some CHL programs to nonprofits.
Worcester-based UMass Memorial plans to layoff up to 84 employees at Community Healthlink, according to a May 7 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing. This is an increase from the 78 reported a week earlier.
Those layoffs will take place in Worcester, Webster, and Leominster, according to the filing. They will take place between June 30 and July 6.
Community Healthlink, a Worcester-based affiliate of UMass Memorial, is set to close, although no final closure date has been announced. The organization provides inpatient and outpatient care for children and adults, as well as substance use treatment, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. CHL serves more than 20,000 people and families each year.
UMass Memorial said in a statement it is committed to helping support caregivers impacted by CHL’s closure “by helping them identify other open positions within the UMass Memorial Health system and collaborating with our community partners on any potential employment opportunities. Additionally, we are working to develop retention plans for caregivers and are providing workforce readiness training.”
Dave Foley, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 509, which represents workers at Community Healthlink, said in a statement the organization would continue advocating for job preservation.
“As we continue to receive updates about CHL’s closure, SEIU Local 509’s priorities remain the same for our members and the communities we serve: We demand that UMass preserves the continuity of services and retention of the workforce. We demand that workers should not be required to reapply for their own jobs,” Foley said.
The layoff expansion comes as UMass Memorial Health signed a letter of intent with Behavioral Health Network of Springfield to operate some of CHL’s Worcester-based programs.Â
In addition to BHN, UMass Memorial is in active discussions to potentially transition other CHL programs to Clinical Support Options of Northampton, as well as Open Sky Community Services and the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, both based in Worcester.
According to UMass Memorial, BHN is interested in running:Â
- Worcester’s Community Behavioral Health Center
- Continuum programs for substance use
- CHL’s Worcester-based Programs for Assertive Community Treatment in Worcester (PACT 1 and PACT 2)
- Adult Community Clinical Services, which includes eight residential locations and two integrated teams
- Safe Haven
- Children Exposed to Domestic ViolenceÂ
- The Department of Mental Health’s Juvenile Court Clinic
- Clinical teams
