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Southwest Health System Lays Off 40 Employees, Citing ‘Financial Health’

Austin Cope

Southwest Health System, one of the county’s largest employers, announced the laying off of 40 employees Tuesday evening. 

A release from SHS said a recent report comparing the organization to other hospitals throughout Colorado and the nation showed staff levels “exceed productivity standards and best practices.” The board of directors later made the decision to lay off the 40 workers, representing nearly 10 percent of SHS’s staff.

 

The announcement comes a bit over a month after Community Hospital Corporation, based in Plano, Texas, took over management through their consulting branch. Interim CEO Anthony Suddeth said the partnership led to the decision that cuts were necessary for stability.

 

“Our board is confident that we will be better positioned to serve our hospital and its path to financial health for years to come,” Suddeth said in the release.

 

SHS also terminated CFO Angela Kobel earlier this year after removing three other executives just a week earlier.

 

SHS is one of the largest employers in Montezuma County alongside the Ute Mountain Casino and the Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District. The organization plans for no further layoffs in the near future.

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