Outer Cape Health Services Makes Reductions Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

HARWICH – Outer Cape Health Services has announced a reorganization of its staffing in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak on Cape Cod.

The move is a direct response to the severe reduction in patient visit volumes experienced by OCHS due to the public health crisis. The reductions impact 50 percent of the nonprofit’s 200-member workforce.

Included in the personnel decisions are temporary furloughs for 70, a reduction in work hours for select employees, and layoffs for a smaller number of individuals.

“In order to survive the economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 situation, and to make sure we had the resources necessary to meet our patients’ expected needs for critical services, we had to make some painful decisions,” said Patricia A. Nadle, OCHS Chief Executive Officer.

“Today has truly been one of the hardest days in my entire healthcare career. Making decisions that impact even one staff member’s life is very difficult, we deeply value the contributions made by every team member, and balancing how to care for the people we serve while also protecting those that sacrifice for us each day, has been a deeply painful process.”

Nadle added that decisions impacting OCHS staff are agonizing but OCHS will support impacted workers as much as possible.

OCHS has been providing tele-medicine services for the past week to primary care and behavioral health patients, however neither the volume of such visits nor the revenues they generate are comparable to in-person visits, as previously budgeted.

In addition, OCHS health center and pharmacy hours have been adjusted to balance for staffing while still serving patient and customer needs.

During the crisis, current revenue losses for OCHS are projected at $1,000,000 per month.

“OCHS continues to work hard to ensure our patient care teams are available and prepared to screen and potentially test symptomatic patients for COVID-19. Our urgent care service in Provincetown also remains open to the Outer Cape community,” Nadle said.

“While this situation is challenging, we have been heartened and overwhelmed by the outpouring of private support from the community, and we hope that they will continue to stand with us, now, as generously as possible, as they have for the last 33 years.”