New positions have been secured for more than 80 of those employees so far, CHRISTUS Health said.
SAN ANTONIO — CHRISTUS Health says it’s working to prevent layoffs of employees at its Medical Center hospital by finding other positions for them ahead of the facility’s April 25 closure.
In a notice sent to the Texas Workforce Commission on Monday – the same day that CHRISTUS said it was shutting down the Babcock Road hospital amid “the evolving health care needs of the community” – CEO Grant Wicklund said that “some (Medical Center) employees will be offered a comparable position at one of our other locations.”
“But we do not know who will and will not be offered such a position at this time,” Wicklund wrote. “To account for this uncertainty, this letter constitutes notice… that the employment of all employees located at the CSRMC will permanently terminate on April 25, 2025.”
But CHRISTUS Health told KENS 5 on Friday that early efforts to relocate those employees have paid off, with new positions secured for more than 80 of the 479 employees. CHRISTUS Health added they “hope to make that 100%” before April 25, which is when any layoffs would become official.
There are several other CHRISTUS facilities in San Antonio, including the downtown children’s hospital and an Alamo Heights hub.
“All CSRMC associates will have job opportunities throughout CHRISTUS,” the Irving-based health system said. “We are hopeful that all CSRMC Associates will continue with CHRISTUS in other roles.”
The health system cited an effort to “consolidate care” in San Antonio as reason for the Medical Center hospital’s impending shutdown. CHRISTUS’ Westover Hills location on the far west side will replace the inpatient beds currently operated at the Medical Center.
According to Wicklund’s letter to the Texas Workforce Commission, 131 of the 479 Medical Center employees are registered nurses, representing the bulk of the workforce there. Another 28 are certified nursing assistants, while the rest vary from technicians and recruiters to risk management personnel.