Recently, Texas Children’s Hospital announced it would be laying off 5 percent of its workforce, which amounts to about 1,000 employees.
Since the announcement, several workers have reached out to KPRC 2 to share their stories.
Among those affected is Madison Rendall, who was a senior environmental graphics coordinator at the hospital.
Rendall, who is six months pregnant, expressed her shock and fear at the sudden job loss. “It’s blindsiding, to say the least,” she said.
She added, “Add on top of the fact that I’m six months pregnant and I’m terrified.”
According to the source, the decision to cut jobs came as the hospital faced financial difficulties and a decline in patient numbers.
Rendall received two months’ severance pay and insurance coverage, but she noted that her insurance costs are set to increase just before her baby’s arrival.
“My insurance is going to go up just before I’m supposed to give birth,” she said.
Rendall had planned for eight weeks of maternity leave, with four weeks covered by the hospital’s leave policy and four weeks of her own. However, her maternity leave was not yet approved because she needed to wait 30 days before going on leave.
“It wasn’t approved yet, because they told me I needed to wait 30 days before I was supposed to go out on leave,” she explained.
In addition to being an employee, Rendall is also a patient at Texas Children’s. “Ironically enough, I’m supposed to be delivering at Texas Children’s.
My doctor is a Texas Children’s doctor,” she shared. Thankfully, her status as a patient remains unaffected by the layoffs.
However, there are concerns about how the layoffs might affect patient care.
Former employees reported that many therapists, including those specializing in speech, occupational, and physical therapy, were let go from both the Woodlands and Medical Center locations.
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They also mentioned that patients were told services were unavailable until further notice.
Texas Children’s Hospital has stated that patient care should not be impacted by the layoffs.
Despite this, former employees and KPRC 2 continue to raise questions about the situation. The hospital has declined to comment further on the matter.