¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý

(WSIL) -- Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) announced Wednesday 76 positions within senior leadership, management and corporate services would be eliminated or reorganized. 

Among those, 33 include vacant positions which will not be filled. 

“Everyone involved in this decision understands the personal toll on those affected and the blow this has on the entire SIH family,� said SIH President and CEO Rex Budde. “People are the reason for our success. This decision was not made lightly; it was truly a last resort.�

The move doesn't impact direct patient care positions.

SIH says they will provide displaced employees with severance packages, benefits counseling and appointments with recruiters to review and apply for other internal job postings. 

At the beginning of the year, SIH projected operational losses of $89 million. That loss is now forecasted at $50 million. 

“SIH faces a budget shortfall which exceeds our achievements, as well as unprecedented uncertainty in the overall healthcare environment. The workforce reduction will bring costs closer in line with revenue projections in order for us to continue our mission of providing care to all people in the communities we serve,� said Budde.