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Here’s how readers will be impacted by the Mass General Brigham layoffs
Mass General Brigham began its second round of layoffs this week, following an initial wave of job cuts in mid-February.
Mass General Brigham (MGB) began its second round of layoffs this week, following an initial wave of job cuts in mid-February. The move is part of the health care system’s attempt to close a projected $250 million budget shortfall over the next two years.
In an email sent to employees on Monday, MGB CEO Anne Klibanski confirmed that this week marks the conclusion of the layoff process, which began on Feb. 10. MGB, which employs over 82,000 people across its hospitals, is one of the largest employers in the state. The layoffs primarily targeted management and administrative roles, and were the largest in the company’s history.
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The layoffs add to the ongoing challenges facing the local health care sector, which recently saw turmoil after the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, resulting in the closure of Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer. The industry is also grappling with workforce shortages (particularly among primary care doctors) and concerns over potential Medicaid funding cuts, which could further threaten the stability of hospitals serving patients with public insurance.
We asked Boston.com readers for their reactions to the first and second wave of layoffs in February and March, respectively. In our poll after the first round of firings, reader reactions were almost evenly distributed: 37% of the more than 350 respondents to our poll said they would be impacted by the layoffs, 33% said they wouldn’t be impacted, and 30% expressed uncertainty about the level of impact they’d face.
Mass General Brigham said it will let go of hundreds of employees in the next two months due to a budget deficit. Will you be impacted?
Yes, I'll be impacted
37%
No, I won't be impacted
33%
I'm not sure yet
30%
We also asked readers if they were impacted after the second round layoffs were announced Monday. A slight majority of the more than two dozen respondents said they were indirectly impacted.
Were you impacted by Mass General Brigham layoffs?
Yes, I was laid off.
0%
Yes, I'm indirectly impacted.
54%
No.
46%
Below, readers – including those who self-identified as MGB patients, employees, and others working in healthcare – share how they’re impacted by the layoffs.
Yes, I’ll be impacted
‘Anyone who resides in the Commonwealth is impacted’
“Anyone who resides in the Commonwealth is impacted either directly or indirectly by the financial health (and by extension services and research) of one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country. I’m not saying MGH is ‘too big to fail’ but we ignore this at our peril.” – Tricia, South End
“This is not a standalone event. The more hospitals that close and have layoffs mean more delayed care for us all. MGH is a huge system serving hundreds of thousands of patients directly.” – A.R., Cambridge
“There are very few industries where laying off a lot of people seems to act strongly against the wellbeing of a community. The medical field is one of those industries.” – Alex, Wakefield
“Mass. General Brigham’s programs and research benefit the Massachusetts community. While we don’t know what will be cut, it’s very likely studies and programs the community depends on will be negatively impacted. It’s also a very worrisome trend that hospitals all across Massachusetts are experiencing financial instability. This means fewer hospitals and services for everyone.” – Kathleen F., Everett
‘Why is there no C-suite cutting back of multi-million dollar paychecks?’
“Administrative personnel critical to clinical operations are being laid off. Why is there no C-suite cutting back of multi-million dollar paychecks? Why is MGB still spending hundreds of millions of dollars on national advertising?” – Claire B., Needham
“My wife works for MGB – she is in IT and they have already had a lot of layoffs. She works a minimum 75 hours a week. I would love to see all of the board take two million off their salaries. I know it won’t solve the problem, but it sure does help the ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ mentality.” – Jack, Lowell
‘My position…was terminated.’
“My position as software engineer was terminated. I worked for MGB for 28 years.” – Nonna R., Medford
“After 20 years, and at the age of 55, I need to look for a new job. MGB is in serious trouble with questionable leadership.” – Kathy, Boston
‘[We] can only assume the layoffs will affect our level of care’
“We are patients at both hospitals and can only assume the layoffs will affect our level of care.” – Deborah P., Seabrook, New Hampshire
“I’ve relied on the nursing staff at Newton-Wellesley for years now for my health issues. They have already cut hours here for various departments and got rid of weekend hours for those of us in assistive reproductive therapy. We now have to drive into Boston to go to the basement at Brigham’s for a blood draw and ultrasound. I worry this will only further impact those of us who rely on Brigham/MGH hospitals and locations not in Boston.” – A., Northborough
I’m not sure if I’ll be impacted yet
“I won’t lose my job, but this might make it harder to get an appointment scheduled, or put added duties onto provider-managers to fill necessary administrative tasks that had previously been performed by staff that did get laid off.” – Megan, Revere
“I’m sure anyone who needs to receive care at MGB will be impacted. I think it’s an already overwhelmed system that is too big for its shoes. Time for hospital leadership to take pay cuts, maybe put plans to expand on hold. It goes to show surgeons running multiple operating rooms at the same time still doesn’t bring in enough revenue.” – Matt, Roslindale
“I don’t work in health care but my health insurance (through the City of Boston) is through Mass General so I bet my premiums will go up. I have to wait months for appointments – this will probably increase. My primary care physician is too busy to answer emails or letters I leave at her office. I doubt that will change.” – C.L.M., Boston
“It’s nearly impossible to get an appointment with my MGH doctor now, and when I can, it gets cancelled and rescheduled repeatedly. I can’t imagine this is going to make it any better.” – Allison, South Shore
“American corporations, including nonprofits, tend to be too bureaucratic. At universities administrators now outnumber faculty, unlike when I was in college. I don’t know enough about the details to say how and if this will affect the quality of healthcare, but it’s time to at least take a serious look at efficiency.” – Mike, Saugus
“If they are letting folks go, I would imagine the rest of the staff being burdened by taking on the responsibilities of those who lost their jobs. This is typically what happens in big organizations. I am concerned that the quality of care will be impacted. My understanding is that all the facilities are understaffed and overworked as it is. I am a disabled 75 year old. Not a big deal, but now I’m concerned as some of my doctors are part of MGB.” – Steve N., Bellingham
No, I won’t be impacted
“There are too many mid-management positions that are unnecessary and a waste of money. This day was coming. Put this money to better use. I never understood why MGH never tightened their belt years ago. Seeing such waste is shameful and shows poor financial management on the institution’s part.” – Debbie, Boston
“No one will be impacted. Any organization with 82,000 employees has fat to cut.” – Bob, Needham
“MGB is still obligated to take care of their patients. I doubt I personally will be impacted. However, I question how MGB can afford to continue building while claiming it is losing money.” – Philip W., Boston
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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