Tower Health, the Reading-based health network, will furlough approximately 1,000 full time employees in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system. The impacted employees work in a range of support, administrative, and technical areas.
Tower Health officials said that the furloughs are necessary because of a 40 to 50 percent decline in revenue from the suspension of non-emergency surgeries, and a rise in COVID-19-related expenses.
In a memo to employees, Tower Health Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Therese Sucher wrote: “This decision has been extremely difficult. Every employee at Tower Health is critical to fulfilling our promise of advancing Health and transforming lives and we regret that these extraordinary circumstances have forced us to take these measures.”
Furloughed employees will have access to their accrued earned time off and their health benefits will be maintained during the furlough.
“We understand how difficult the furlough may be for our impacted employees and their families,” Ms. Sucher said. “We do believe this furlough will be temporary and we look forward to the return of regular operations as soon as is safely possible.”
