Douglas hospital lays off 18
Feb 07 2012

Continuing financial problems have prompted the layoff of 18 employees at the Southeast Arizona Medical Center in Douglas.

Monday, the center’s Chief Executive Officer, Brian Bickel, said some of the layoffs will happen immediately and the others by the first of March.

It was last July when Bickel, along with Sierra Vista Regional Health Center’s CEO Margaret Hepburn, announced a management agreement in which the Sierra Vista hospital was to assist the economically-strapped Douglas facility in finding better ways to operate.

At that time it was stated there would be no whole scale layoffs of the SAMC employees.

The driving force in Monday’s announcement is, “SAMC has experienced significant financial challenges for several years,” Bickel said.

What is unfortunate is, “the decline in reimbursements along with...

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