“The temporary closure of St. Luke’s by the state as a result of equipment malfunctions and hospital license suspension, has led to the unfortunate but necessary decision to furlough all St. Luke’s employees,” Steward said in a statement.
Furloughed employees will not be paid, but employees can use paid leave or PTO, Steward added. Employees will also receive full healthcare coverage through at least Sept. 30.
“This is a difficult situation, but we believe it can be resolved quickly, and our employees can return to doing their important work serving patients at St. Luke’s which SHC is actively working to transition to new ownership,” Steward’s statement said. “We will provide further updates as appropriate.”
Overall, more than 200 employees have been affected.
The furloughs come nearly two weeks after Arizona ordered Steward to suspend operations at the hospital after temperatures inside St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center reached 99 degrees. More information about Steward and the furloughs is available here.
