Gallup hospital shedding nearly 80 jobs; patient counts drop

This May 8, 2020, photo shows Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital in Gallup, N.M. Of about 500 medical and support staff, at least 32 hospital workers have become infected, and doctors and nurses say that they all live with the fear of spreading the virus to their colleagues and relatives.[AP Photo/Morgan Lee]
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A Gallup hospital is eliminating nearly 80 jobs as it responds to reduced patient counts following a $14 million loss in 2020.
The job cuts announced Tuesday by Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services include 27 layoffs made in May when it closed WellSpring Recovery Center plus elimination of 27 currently vacant positions.
The Gallup Independent reports that other moves include severing 18 contracts with temporary or traveling workers and laying off six local physicians and staff.
Interim CEO Don Smithburg said federal pandemic-relief funding provided “only a temporary reprieve from financial challenges that have been persistent for years.”