UMass Chan eliminating 70 jobs as adolescent program transfers to state oversight

Photo | Timothy Doyle UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

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By Isabel Tehan

UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester will be transferring administration of the Adolescent Continuing Care Unit at the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital on Jan. 21, eliminating 70 jobs from the medical school's purview.

The school will transfer the program to the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, according to a Nov. 17 letter accompanying a WARN [Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification] notice from the medical school.

According to the notice, 28 mental health counselors and 12 nurses will be impacted, as well as a number of other positions.

It is possible some UMass Chan positions in the unit may be retained for a maximum of 60 additional days to assist with administrative aspects of the transfer, according to the notice.

This information was first reported by the Boston Business Journal.

Impacted employees are represented by two labor unions, the Massachusetts Nurses Association and State Healthcare and Research Employees. Employees represented by the MNA have bumping rights, which provide some employees repositioning assignments, while SHARE employees do not, according to the notice.

UMass Chan is the third largest employer in Central Massachusetts, with 6,000 local employees, according to data compiled by the WBJ Research Department.