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57 HEALTHCARE NEWS Ascension Michigan lays off 500 hospital workers: 6 things to know By Kelly Gooch A scension Michigan, part of St. Lou- is-based Ascension, has laid off 500 employees, or roughly 2 percent of its 26,000-person workforce, according to hospital officials. Gwen MacKenzie, Michigan market executive of Ascension Michigan, confirmed the layoffs report- ed by Crain's Detroit Business March 11. However, she declined to provide any additional information about the transitions. Here are six things to know. 1. Employees affected by the layoffs include nurses as well as 20 executives or managers. Other affect- ed job categories cited in the Crain's report include medical therapists, technicians and unit clerks. 2. Ms. MacKenzie told Crain's Ascension Michigan anticipates laying off more employees following examination of staffing and notifying representa- tives of unionized employees. 3. In the interview with Crain's, Ms. MacKenzie noted the changing healthcare landscape, saying Ascension Michigan, like various other healthcare entities, is dealing with issues such as regulatory burdens and reduced reimbursement from payers. 4. She told the publication: "We may be a lead- er as all health systems go through the same rapidly changing landscape with reimburse- ment decline, people transitioning to outpatient (care). We are focusing on ambulatory growth. ... Healthcare costs are a major issue and we are addressing that now." 5. e news of layoffs at Ascension Michigan comes as St. Louis-based Ascension saw operating income decline 78 percent in the first half of fiscal year 2018. e system also reported lower reve- nues compared to the same period the year prior. 6. In addition to layoffs, restructuring has also included cutting nonlabor costs, integrating exec- utive jobs between facilities, and creating a state- wide corporate team in Michigan, according to the Crain's article. n Nurse charged with murder of patient who died gasping for air as staff laughed By Mackenzie Bean A grand jury indicted two nurses and one nursing home aide on nu- merous charges — including felony murder — relating to the 2014 death of a patient at a Georgia nursing home, according to WXIA. The patient, 89-year-old James Dempsey, died at Northeast Atlanta (Ga.) Health and Rehabilitation in 2014. Footage obtained by WXIA last No- vember showed nursing home staff laughing as the World War II veteran called for help numerous times, gasped for air and died. The Brookhaven (Ga.) Police Department launched a criminal investiga- tion into Mr. Dempsey's death after WXIA released the footage. On Tuesday, grand jurors charged Loyce Pickquet Agyeman, a former li- censed practical nurse, with felony murder and neglect to an elderly per- son. Former LPN Wanda Nuckles was charged with depriving an elderly person of essential services, and Mable Turman, a certified nurse assistant, was charged with neglect to an elderly person. Jurors also charged all three women with one count of concealing the death of another person. The District Attorney's elder abuse and exploitation unit will prosecute the case. The court has not set a trial date yet. n Job-related dispute led to shooting at Alabama hospital: 6 things to know By Alia Paavola A job-related dispute led a hospital employee to open fire inside Birmingham, Ala.-based UAB Hospital-Highlands March 14, ac- cording to CBS News. Here are six things to know. 1. A gunman — who police identified as 31-year-old Travis Coleman, a UAB Hospital worker — opened fire at the hospital March 14, killing one em- ployee and critically injuring a second employee, before killing himself. 2. The employee killed in the incident was identified as Nancy Swift, a 63-year-old nursing manager at UAB Hospital-Highlands. 3. The employee who was critically injured was identified as Timothy Isley, who worked for Steris, a contractor who manages the hospital's sterile supplies. Mr. Isley is recovering in intensive care, according to the report. 4. While police are still investigating the incident, Birmingham Police De- partment Lt. Peter Williston told CBS News, "We do know it was an em- ployee relations issue that led to what happened." 5. No additional details on the job-related dispute were released. 6. Hospital officials said metal detectors were in use, but they did not know how the shooter entered the building with a gun. n