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Employees of Stanford Health Care, including doctors, nurses and technicians who are caring for COVID-19 patients, will have their pay reduced by up to 20% starting Monday, April 27, for 10 weeks, according to a tip sheet the organization sent to workers on April 21.
The medical center briefly stated it was making the cuts due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the organization instead of laying off employees. The “temporary workforce adjustment” program was created as part of the hospital’s “cost-saving measure and initiatives,” hospital administrators stated. The pay reductions will apply to all employees at Stanford Hospital, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and, in the East Bay, Stanford-ValleyCare. Asked if the cuts included to doctors’ salaries, hospital spokeswoman Lisa Kim reiterated the cuts are “across the board.”
The employees can choose to lose pay but continue to work full-time, or work fewer hours while taking paid time off in full-day increments, or work fewer hours but take up to 96 hours of flex time as time off. If they are not eligible, they can take unpaid time off. The hospital will offer tips on how to file for unemployment insurance.
Employees were stunned by the announcement. The pay cuts will be an economic burden for many employees, said Linda Cornell, a 40-year employee and unit secretary who works at a nursing station as a sort of “air traffic controller” for the unit. There’s also concern it could affect patient care, she added.
“It’s just crazy. The governor was saying that we had the highest death rate (of COVID-19 patients) yesterday, and here they want to cut staff. I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.
CEO David Entwistle has indicated in earlier news reports that emergency room visits at Stanford Hospital is down 40%, hospital spokeswoman Lisa Kim said.
In a statement, Stanford said in part: “Stanford Health Care is navigating the unprecedented economic impact of COVID-19 and, as part of this effort, is implementing a temporary reduction in hours across the organization. The current pandemic has affected many organizations globally, and we are no exception. This is a difficult but necessary decision to sustain the long-term health of the organization so we can continue to provide critical services to the community.”
In another statement issued Monday, April 27, the medical center said the workforce adjustment is limited to the 10-week time period.
“Current reduced volumes (of patients) make it possible to implement this program at present. We anticipate that when the current shelter-in-place order is lifted, our patient volumes will return.
“We are actively preparing to resume regular operations and because of our current recovery and restoration planning and our dedicated and talented community, we are confident that we will hit the ground running.”
Hospitals such as Stanford shut down elective surgeries, a large source of revenue, under a state mandate to prepare for a surge of COVID-19 patients, but on Wednesday Gov. Gavin Newsom relaxed some of those restrictions, allowing for procedures such as heart-valve replacements, tumor removals and colonoscopies.
Cornell said she hopes that more elective surgeries can be allowed to come back on line and that they would ease the economic strain on the hospitals. In the meantime, many employees will face economic hardship. Many have already taken or used up paid time off to care for their children because schools and day care centers have closed. Although workers can use up to 120 hours of additional paid time off, they would have to pay that money back or take time off without pay, she said.
“Some families will never be able to accrue enough money to pay that back,” she said, with many employees earning $50,000 or less.
Cornell said she is on vacation, which started prior to learning about the cuts. Employees who are using up all of their vacation time now so that they can be paid will lose their opportunities to take trips with their families in the future, she added.
The hospital still has to keep things running, she said. She fears that patients will receive a lower quality of care with fewer staff on duty because they can’t get to a lot of things.
“It opens up the possibility that there will be more error and mistakes because people rush to get things done,” she said.
In its statement, Stanford Health Care refuted the notion that the cuts would impact care.
“This measure will not impact any of our operations. We continue to provide the safest, highest quality care for our patients and remain dedicated to pioneering research and effective clinical therapies to address this evolving situation. We are immensely proud of our community at Stanford Health Care, and we thank our employees for their tireless efforts and ongoing support during these challenging times,” the hospital administration stated.
Steve Trossman, a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers, which represents many Stanford employees, said hospital administrators notified the union of the plan less than a week before the announcement but refused to negotiate.
Addressing Stanford’s employee-labor relations executives in an open letter, 16 employees — including unit secretaries, nursing assistants, technicians and others — said that they are dismayed by the hospital’s actions.
“Stanford Health Care is now turning its back on front-line health care workers and refusing to acknowledge our input when it comes to furloughs. Your refusal to work collaboratively and negotiate is extremely disrespectful to all of us who have been coming to work every day, often without proper protection, putting our lives at risk to care for patients,” they wrote.
“You’ve presented your furlough plan as a ‘shared sacrifice’ as if this extreme measure has the same impact on the CEO who makes over $3 million/year and a housekeeper or a nursing assistant who struggle to pay rent and feed our family in the Silicon Valley on $60,000 or $70,000 a year. This shows a stark lack of empathy and understanding for the reality of our lives.”
The letter asks the hospital to reconsider. The employees propose the hospital tier its approach to cutting costs by exempting the lowest paid workers and reducing the burden on employees earning less than $100,000 a year.
Among other requests, they also ask the hospital to ensure that no workers lose or pay more for health benefits. They also ask the hospital to explain the reasoning behind the furloughs, including how much money the hospitals are actually losing as a result of COVID-19 and how much Stanford Health Care will receive in federal stimulus funds included in the CARES Act and its recent supplement.
In its April 27 statement, Stanford said union-represented employees will also participate in the temporary workforce adjustment in accordance with the terms and conditions of their collective-bargaining agreements.
“At present, over 99% of all our employees have chosen to use the paid time off option,” Stanford said.
Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula’s response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.
This is UNBELIEVABLE and DISGUSTING
SHAME ON STANFORD HEALTH CARE!!
Before devastating the hardworking nurses, aides, and other employees who are working so hard right now on an already-too-low wage, did Management cut their own salaries?
So much health care money is now sucked into the middlemen: insurance companies, benefit analyzers, etc. How about giving them the 20% pay cut and protect the workers KEEPING US ALIVE? How about reducing pay for any of the doctors, specialists, and other very very well-paid folks at the top of the pyramid?
1% of a vice president’s salary isn’t going to hurt their family very much, but could cover quite a lot of low-paid workers’ 20%.
Here’s a quick look at how much Stanford People will be contributing to Stanford to help balance the books–
Yearly..Weekly..10-Week
…………….20% Cut
300000..5769….11538
250000..4808….9615
200000..3846….7692
175000..3365….6731
150000..2885….5769
125000..2404….4808
100000..1923….3846
90000..1731….3462
80000..1538….3077
70000..1346….2692
60000..1154….2308
50000…962….1923
40000…769….1538
30000…577….1154
Corrections- the 20% pay cut is for 12 weeks. And, physicians are not impacted by the pay cut as they are paid by the School of Medicine.
Not all Stanford Healthcare physicians are paid by the School of Medicine, it’s often a complicated mix of medical school and hospital funds and it varies across settings. FYI, the physicians and nurses at the VA Palo Alto (a teaching hospital closely affiliated with Stanford that includes many Stanford medical school faculty) have been granted a 20% pay increase for the next several months. Most of the rest of the staff is getting a 10% pay raise. At least the VA, for all its criticism, is trying to reward health care professionals who are working long hours and are at risk. Perhaps one should ponder the perils of for profit medicine on the North side of Palo Alto?
What? A nursing assistant and housekeeper make $70K/yr?
Go work somewhere else and you’ll make half of that – if you are lucky.
Be grateful you a job.
Most Americans are out of work now, with nothing to do but sit at home all day.
Since our area has such a high cost of living, I just want to offer comparisons:
Someone at Stanford making $50,000/yr, its the same as someone making $7,604 annually in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Yes, that’s the right place for the comma. It’s the same economic circumstances as someone making $9,601 in Chicago. In both cases, it excludes childcare and taxes.
Someone at Stanford making $100,000/yr, it’s the same economic circumstances of someone making $15,208 in Bowling Green.
Take away 20% from someone making $50,000 a year here, is the same economic circumstances as someone then making $6,083 in Bowling Green.
I am not saying this to feed the trolls. I am bringing this up because we don’t talk about cost-of-living adjustments in our national discourse, and it’s easy to think that people making $100k a year here are doing well. $109,000 here is the low-income limit.
I think the calls to limit this to a sliding scale and only those making more than $100k is the more humane thing. The cost to morale alone is not worth the cuts. Things are all wrong when the medical workers and janitors having to clean up with a pandemic are having to take a pay cut.
Hospital workers and others who are taking on enormous risk deserve our solidarity. This is not the moment to relax our attention to all workers rights. We support your right to STRIKE! You are not alone.
I am one of those healthcare workers making enough to rent but not ever to buy. I make enough to live month to month, but too much to qualify for stimulus $. I can’t even write off the interest (7%) I pay the federal government for my massive student loans, because I make more than 80k.
I am your safety net. Your safety net has no safety net. It’s easier to live elsewhere. I’m guessing many others in similar shoes are realizing what I am. There is a reason it’s near impossible for healthcare organizations to recruit to this area, and it’s about to get worse
A pay cut and forced PTO is the thank you we get, for going to work and assuming the risk. Well. No thanks.
Employees at Stanford Children’s Hospital are being instructed to reduce their hours by 40%. Some departments, like mine, were not significantly impacted by the virus and are still caring for the same number of patients. I don’t understand how these measures would “not impact any of our operations”. How can we “continue to provide the safest, highest quality care for our patients” when some departments are now understaffed due to these across-the-board cuts?
This is wrong. I think we overdid it with closing too many things down as a result of covid-19, including health care procedures and appointments. This does not make sense. How did this happen? And why are they cutting pay? Isn’t there some other possible solution? This is going to be a huge cost to everyone, including patients.
@your neighbor
I used to think that, too, I just want you to know it is possible but it involves accepting a standard of living far below what most people are able to do for a really long time. And even then it’s a lot of work when your job is already hard. And then when you finally get stable after a lifetime of sacrifice, people will assume you are Ritchie rich.
Contact all Cpngressmembers who will care and get them to start putting more cost of living adjustments in the tax codes. You already pay more in absolute taxes than someone of similar circumstances in a cheaper state, you should be eligible for the equal treatment under the law. Tax policy is social policy. The limit on the stimulus will go to people in red states who make the equivalent of a million and a quarter here and won’t go to people here who make the equivalent of $20,000 there. Our potus treats people in the middle class in our coastal states like they are foreign enemies and pits Americans against Americans.
At least call your member of Congress and demand they start talking about cost of living. Even the Weekly did a story about whether people in Palo Alto thought they were middle class and practically ridiculed the people in the middle. Are you aware that the middle class is disappearing from top colleges? It’s easier for the rich and the poor, and it’s especially hard for middle class Californians because people do not understand the cost of living issue, so you can be low income here struggling to get ny but UCs treat you like a mogul. People can’t usually move around the way tech whales can bring in workers (who jack up all the costs because of their concentration of high salaries).
Good luck to you please remember to vote for competence in government and healing rather than divisiveness
I don’t care who they are paid by or what kind of nonsense this is … this should not be happening. Cut executive pay, or go into some of the billions of dollars Stanford has in its reserves. Who can look at this and say it makes any sense at all?
This is just one more reason to be for Medicare for All, Universal Health Care. What a rip-off.
And how many of these people even have health care, through Stanford or anywhere else?
@cheese guy
“ At least the VA, for all its criticism, is trying to reward health care professionals who are working long hours and are at risk”
You can’t know whether that’s a reward by comparison unless you know whether the VA workers are underpaid, comparably paid, or overpaid relative to their private sector counterparts The federal government has a wonky pay system, including that locality pay in the Bay Area is the same as Houston, which has a much lower cost of living. Different areas of government get more political heat, and some jobs attract scientists who factor in love of the work they couldn’t do any other way or the service they do for the public I think that workers at one federal location here get paid almost half what their peers do at a national lab elsewhere in the Bay Area and it’s because of the administrative structure and the lab being run privately so they pay better.
Workers also all get the same percent raise, which for many of the Obama years was zero. When the economy gets better, there’s no one trying to ensure their wages catch up. So it’s entirely possible this is an attempt to help during this time so workers don’t leave. One if my siblings broke their back while in the military and at the time it seemed the nurses were paid really well because they just couldn’t hire enough and maybe the doctors not so well. Again, it’s a very different system so you cannot say the whether that 20% represents a generous bonus or a temporary patch so workers don’t leave if there are increases and hiring in the private sector.
As of last report, Stanford was sitting on a $27.7 billion endowment (maybe this has dropped a bit recently due to stock market declines). So here we have a “non-profit educational organization” with a $27.7 billion endowment that is nickle and diming healthcare workers.
I applaud Hospital Leadership for taking steps to better position the Hospital for the long run. Using vacation balance to reduce costs makes sense and its a better option than a paycut. Many employees have been working long hours supporting Covid19 efforts and it will be nice to have breather. No complaints here.
“What? A nursing assistant and housekeeper make $70K/yr?
Go work somewhere else and you’ll make half of that – if you are lucky.
Be grateful you a job.
Most Americans are out of work now, with nothing to do but sit at home all day.”
So, first of all, this comment is incorrect. A nursing assistant makes anywhere from $50-60k/year and housekeepers are contracted by Stanford Hospital through agencies that pay them roughly $10-12/hour. Housekeepers can get fired at anytime by their agencies and Stanford Hospital has no say in that process.
Frontline workers are happy we have jobs, don’t get this fact twisted. However, one must also take into consideration the cost-of-living here in the SF Bay Area. Many Americans do not have the ability to work, so let us be more smart in re-allocating finances and services instead of ignoring the medical science that is at everyone’s disposal. Let us contribute to services that would help more people so that we are not left wanting to go back to work with conditions clearly deemed unsafe by health care professionals around the world. Ignorance is bliss, but this RN will take care of anyone, any day. Lastly, my fellow human being, regardless of whether or not you agree, or think it is fair, I will still provide the best possible evidence-based care you will ever see if you’re lucky to find yourself with Stanford Healthcare.
I think the anger here against Stanford hospital is misplaced. They are at the end of the day running a business.
Our government mandated that they shut down perhaps 75 percent of their revenue by making it illegal for Stanford to perform non emergency procedures. I don’t know the exact number, but it’s in this magnitude.
So why do you blame Stanford that when revenue drops massively they have to trim costs. How about blaming Newsome et al that mandated Stanford to shut down. And it turns out unnecessarily so, based on flawed models.
Oh and the government mandate to shut down elective procedures has also cost lives. Deferred cancer treatments heart surgeries etc will also have killed people.
The net is it’s easy to blame Stanford. But it’s not their fault, they don’t have a choice, they are following orders from the Governor and local public health department and dealing with the consequences of those orders.
Huh. Maybe… and bear with me here, but just maybe…. healthcare shouldn’t be for-profit?
@Gnar, I thought Stanford was a non-profit. Is Kaiser? How about Sutter?
While I am not surprised at the typical corporate knee jerk reaction of cutting off your nose to spite your face at the first sign of decline in profits, I cannot help but call out the root of the problem here. This is happening because they only people who are getting healthcare are the small fraction of population who have Corona. And even most of them are being sent home. Everybody else who is not dying is not getting the healthcare they need. We’ve got a slew of “ experts” whose models have consistently been incorrect and government who continues to behave as though they were right. Since when does a Government know better how to manage an outbreak than the healthcare system that is managing it? Most people are not aware that the data is also being controlled. Test kits are being allocated in small batches, forcing hospitals to ration testing. This causes a complete distortion of the prevalence and risk of this virus. We prevent spread of blood borne pathogens by preventing exposure to blood. We prevent spread of droplet pathogens by preventing exposure to droplets. If we could learn from the past we would set up quarantine and isolation units for people affected by this virus and allow healthcare to continue caring for people that don’t have it.
Dan writes:
“Our government mandated that they shut down perhaps 75 percent of their revenue by making it illegal for Stanford to perform non emergency procedures. I don’t know the exact number, but it’s in this magnitude.
So why do you blame Stanford that when revenue drops massively they have to trim costs. How about blaming Newsome et al that mandated Stanford to shut down. And it turns out unnecessarily so, based on flawed models.”
But Dan, logic is no fun! I want to rant all my emotions against…umm, the bad guys!! Stanford, Drumpf, all Republithugs! I DON’T WANT TO accept that I and most Palo Alto-istas, Bay Area-onians, and Californians voted for all the Democrat leaders in the Bay Area and this state. If I have to face that the state and local leaders caused this over-reaction, whom I elected, re-elected and then re-elected again and again, then that means that I am partly to blame, and I REFUSE to accept that I am part of the problem. Just go away with your LOGIC!!! I want to RANT against the bad guys!
The dependence of Stanford Heath Care on billing fee-for-service for procedures and visits put them at risk of these financial losses. You reap what you sow.
People in Palo Alto need to wake up to what is going on in the rest of the country!! Hospitals everywhere are laying off staff and cutting salaries dramatically! From full layoffs to cutting hours and salaries for ALL ees – including doctors – by 30-50%. Other employers are cutting staff and for the ees who are still working, but at home, are taking 20-30% cuts in pay.
And where in the world did @local get his her numbers for bowling green Kentucky?! I cannot find that number anywhere. And everything I found was based on buying a house – not renting.
Why isn’t this a much better solution during a temporary decline in business than permanently laying people off when they will be needed months down the road.
Taking vacation days over the next few months should be that big of a deal.
Everybody pays lip service to shared sacrifice, but when they are asked to share in the sacrifice, they say “NOT ME!”
I can’t believe the number of people commenting here that are unclear on the concept. Maybe if they lost their job yhey would feel differently.
Some valid data about Bowling Green, KY:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/bowlinggreencitykentucky
Some workers don’t have enough vacation days. They will go into the negative and if they leave the organization, they will be asked to pay that back. The executives accrue vacation and benefits more quickly than the workers who get paid less.
I am an employee and I am totally fine with this. I do feel bad for those individuals who will experience hardship. BUT I have seen the large number of employees in the labor pool doing nothing. The large number of employees hanging out in various lounges at hospital because their units are at half capacity or completely closed. Stanford did its part in shutting down units, canceling thousands of surgerys and clinic appointments. But the surge in Covid patients just did not happen (thanks to our state and local governments quick actions). But the otherside of that is loss in revenue. Personally, it sucks that my pay will be less for a couple of months, but I am grateful for a job and grateful that I am still working (not furloughed).
One of the comments above stated $50k year in Palo Alto is like $8000 inBowling Green KY. Buddy you need a calculator and a reality check. I live near Bowling Green and my son lives in SF. There is a definite difference mostly due to housing costs but it’s not 80+%. Roughly about $30k maybe vs $50k. If it really was THAT bad then you be an idiot for not moving … say maybe to Bowling Green….having said that, a cut of any kind for front line providers really is a terrible thing. Our local ER group got cut 10% but worse, staffing was cut.
Bowling Green , Kentucky has a poverty rate greater than 25% according to the link provided. We could also say it’s cheaper to live in Detroit where you can but a home for $1,000. But why?
The nurse is on vacation at a time like this ??
As one of the “frontliners,” I am glad I still have a job in this trying time. I signed up for it and this is who I am.
I don’t mind taking an unpaid day off (just started – no accumulated vacation time yet) maybe twice a month to do my share as long as what was said that it is truly “across the board” happens, meaning starting from the very top.
As frontliners, we are the backbone of Stanford. Stanford Health Care will not be Stanford Health Care if not for us. So, when Stanford cuts 20% of everyone’s salary, top executives/management, PLEASE LEAD THE WAY and myself as a frontliner will follow your example in a financial way that I can manage.
Dare we ask where the billions of dollars from the stimulus package to hospitals went?
Facing patients with a potentially life threatening disease on a daily basis is enough of a sacrifice. I vote for the nurses to get raises and the Board members to refuse any pay. That would be morally responsible.
When the patient census goes down at Stanford or Packard for any reason, the nursing assistants, unit clerks, RNs, housekeepers are cancelled. This happens all year long. We use our PTO or go unpaid. We already sacrifice for the financial well being of the hospital. All Drs, HR people, managers, CEOs, billing, medical records depts, etc,etc, work their regular hours. They are not cancelled when the patient numbers are low. Now for the 1st time they will be asked to sacrifice the way we do and that is great, but I think the direct patient care staff should be spared for once!
Stanford and Packard hire many relief staff to “fill in”. They are hired at a low commitment (say 2-8 days/mo) so Stanford doesn’t have to pay them benefits. Many take these jobs because they are not offered a part time or full time position. Then they work 4-5 days/wk because that’s what they need to make a living! These hard working staff get cancelled 1st, and often, do not earn PTO or sick time even though most of the time they work as much or more than”regular” staff. Now the hospitals are telling them “You’re commitment is 2days/month so that is the amount you can work.” That is quite a bit more than a 20% cut. To add insult to injury they are given a $1/hr differential to make up for lack of benefits (retirement, health insurance, sick days, vacation days).
@also local,
Use Sperling’s best places cost of living calculator. Underlying assumption is also homeowner.
The reason that’s actually a better assumption is because the housing market here is not like anywhere else because of the longtime high demand (really, this situation is NOT NEW, and no, it’s really not worse than some of the other booms for people at the bottom).
The rental market is even more volatile and actually, more expensive, and the only way to stabilize is to buy. And no, almost no one except the wealthiest (because of supply and demand) can buy anything based on a salary. Not even in really bad neighborhoods. You can buy something unhealthy and almost uninhabitable with a drug dealer living there (who moves next door) and then tear out the rotting parts of it and rebuild it in your spare time with whatever you can scrape up all the while having the drug dealer’s customers who don’t realize he’s moved constantly ringing the doorbell (this is how we got into the housing market), and then move up over time, but carefully because of the property taxes (you can’t do this much). This kind of substandard entry level is how a surprising number of people we know have done it.
AS to the trolls who think it’s so easy to just move, sometimes your career is in a place, and it’s not in Bowling Green, KY. The whole point in making comparisons is so that people understand that when you spend 50% of your income on housing, and 25% on medical and 15% on income tax, the actual amount you live on for everything else really is on the order of $15,000. Except that here, everything else is also more expensive.
The weird aggressive answers above are exhibit 1 in why we need to start talking about cost-of-living. The above healthcare worker won’t qualify for the stimulus and could use it far more than someone making $150,000 in many parts of the country. Maybe the tech whales will understand how their bringing in so many workers in one place are impacting others, too.
When are y’all going to wake up that this shut down is a push for “government healthcare”? God forbid that it actually happens but if it does, get ready for the same level of service that you get from the Post Office and dMV.
I am a regular Stanford patient in several different departments (some of which are not seeing patients right now). No staff should be furloughed or have pay cut. This is so crappy! Many of these people live pay check to pay check.
Senior level nurses at Stanford make 90+ an hour and benefits. Nurses in California are well compensated. I work at VA and I am very happy with my job, pay, and benefits. Nurses will be ok. My question is why Stanford has so many travel nurses?
Let’s see how much money from the Feds sticks with Stanford Health Care.
Trump twisted Stanford’s arm to not accept the money that was in the CARES Act for them. He may force Stanford Health Care to not accept Fed money either.
the reality is that everyone besides the richest CEOs and admins around the country lose in this pandemic, so quibbling about pay cuts seems trivial. is there any amount of money you can put on human lives? if people got a pay increase of 20% would that justify potentially dying from a novel illness because you cant afford not to work to feed your family? doesnt seem like a real choice to me. on the east coast some hospitals in the hardest hit areas are sacrificing residents to the frontlines of COVID to staff ICUs when they aren’t even medicine trained while program leaders escape to vacation hideaways to wait out the worst of it. but as long as they offer up their indentured slaves for the pandemic, they will be in a better position to get federal stimulus money when all is said and done. residents being given $300 dollars “extra” and no guarantee of PPE while presidents of hospitals making 8 million a year run away to their vacation mansions in FL. this is all done to protect the healthcare admin leadership at the top of this ponzi scheme
Everyone should take their comments to twitter in response to this article. This is an echo chamber and has very little impact.
It is unacceptable that Stanford Healthcare would be applauding healthcare workers and at the same time cutting salaries by 20% and likely that cuts will get worse.
https://twitter.com/paloaltoweekly/status/1253846364552749058?s=21
Everyone should take their comments to twitter in response to this article. This is an echo chamber and has very little impact.
It is unacceptable that Stanford Healthcare would be applauding healthcare workers and at the same time cutting salaries by 20% and likely that cuts will get worse. Weblink to the report on Twitter is below https://twitter.com/paloaltoweekly/status/1253846364552749058?s=21
How many of you who are “outraged” by this have been to the hospital since C19 started?
I went to the ER twice in the last month for an acute non-C19 problem that ended up needing an overnight stay and a surgical procedure to correct.
Allow me to report back:
Our containment efforts are working. It is night and day difference from the scenes of horror we are getting from the east coast. They are fully staffed, fully equipped and have well thought out and effective C19 controls in place. (dedicated hot zone for C19 patients, everyone gets a mask even outsize. Everyone admitted gets a C19 test — with results in 45 minutes for screening, etc. etc.)
Also, the new hospital and ER are amazing. Everything is state of the art and intelligently laid out. If you took all the fancy gadgets out of my room it looked like a nice, modern and not inexpensive hotel room.
But they are, in fact, lacking in patients. All elective/non-urgent procedures are getting postponed. Even a lot of urgent situations are being (sometimes tragically) postponed by patients due to fear of C19. I know because I was one of them.
So if you really want to support your local hospital, *USE* it!
Don’t be frivelous, but if you or anyone you live with have any symptoms that might be serious — unexplained pain, especially anywhere in the trunk, altered mental states or sudden behaviour change — or an injury that you ordinarily would take to the ER just to be safe, TAKE IT TO THE ER, just to be safe!
There are a lot of problems like apendicitis, gall stones, kidney stones, even scary things like cancer and heart attacks which have 1 important thing in common — they are all *MUCH* easier to treat when they are detected early.
I had laproscopic surgery at 9am and was discharged at 2pm the same day. But if I had waited much longer, it could have very easily become life or death serious.
So use your head, but use your medical services too. We are so incredibly lucky to have them in our back yard. They are open for business now, and you know they will get hit with a lot of “deffered maintainance” as soon as as the C19 controls are lifted.
If you have a small problem and really aren’t sure if you should wait or go in, call or text your GP and ask! It’s what they are there for.
The CEO, David Entwistle, should cut his salary to $500k/year, or resign.
The article posted here has some correct information but there are departments in the hospital that have been working on a 20% reduction for the last six weeks already and now are going to a 40% reduction with forced PTO to be taken. With no chance of making up hours any other way. These are workers on the front lines caring for our patients and their families
Stay safe
Everyone has a choice- 20% pay cut or 12 pto days in 10 weeks. And front line employees like nursing assistant Linda Cornell have the option of using their PTO or go unpaid. The choices are far better than being laid off and joining the millions in the unemployment line! We’re all in this together – doctors- how about helping out since it seems you’re not affected by this pay cut.
I am a nurse and just heard that you are planning to cut salaries of doctors and nurses. This is absurd, even if your profits are down, there is no excuse whatsoever to do this to those who are on the frontline not only thru this difficult time but each and every day to make you “that profit” that seems so important to you, not the “people” who make or break you. It is unacceptable to do this to those who serve the public thru these covid 19 times, risking their own lives, unselfishly. Any and all cuts should come from “above” and if this has already been done then figure it out another way not doing it to the doctors and nurses. Without them, where will you be???? You will lose them all to another hospital organization and is that worth all that you have invested in them and your organization?
Please reconsider this and know that this plan is the “wrong thing to do” to those people who “always do the right thing to help those in need”
Stanford can’t pay its bills because it is run by massive fraudsters. I hope some of the faculty they have paid off over the years to hide their dirty secrets do us all a favor and start to talk. Corrupt and deplorable scumbags.
Well, the Gov in charge wants single payer health system. That’s why he isn’t allowing much needed procedures ( surgery isn’t a vacation and shouldn’t be called elective). Follow the money and political agenda of the State government and how they are using this crisis to their political gain. Bankrupt hospitals and push Medicare for all. Wake up sheeple! Speak up for your amazing healthcare!
All of us, including Stanford Hospital, should be recognizing and REWARDING the incredibly dangerous and important work their employees do. In fact, the employees all deserve a substantial raise in recognition of the risks they have taken to save people’s lives during this crisis. To cut their pay even a little bit is shocking and unconscionable. What can we do to prevent this action by Stanford? How can we all support the employees? To whom can we send letters? Let’s support our health workers!!
Nurses typically work 3-day weeks (36 hours total) and complain no time off? I’m not a genius but that’s a 4-day vacation every week. Try working 5-6 days a week putting in 10-12 hour work days on Salary; no time and a half pay over 40 hours. No one likes a 20% pay-cut but nurses have it really good. Nurses you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Corrupt and disgusting Stanford does it again. One day the world will find out about how you really do business. Systematically squeezing workers. Kickbacks and research fraud. Stanford is a giant farce and I’m glad they are showing their true colors ($ell out green).
Our state government needs to be replaced with people who are smarter and less micro managing. The governor should not get to say what procedures can and can’t be done. If we’re safe and have no issues with service, stay out of it.
I’m confused by the timing. Aren’t all the hospitals opening up to elective surgeries and other procedures right now? So why the rush to cut pay when they’ll soon be raking in the money again?
The greed of Stanford in this is egregious. The CEO and assorted other C suite personnel are making deep 7 digit salaries. Where is the recourse in their compensation? The “luxurious” hospital that Stanford built for all its wealthy patients: giant TVs, iPAds, private rooms, expensive art…and now they can’t pay their staff? This is the same staff who will receive giant medical bills from Stanford for the COVID treatment that they need after standing on the front line treating Stanford patients. For all those keyboard jockeys above who complain about nurses’/doctors’/others’ compensation, I say only this: Suit up and come join the healthcare providers! Also, not mentioned is physician compensation. Although physician salaries aren’t be “cut”, they are. Stanford is largely RVU based, so the majority of physician compensation comes from productivity….no patients, no productivity, big cut in salary. Some I know will take a 30-50% haircut…yet will continue to treat the highest risk COVID patients.
And to those above who think Medicare for All is the panacea that they need for all their ailments, good luck getting an appointment! Think that your healthcare provider is going to continue to be your servant for your achy knee or persistent cough? Get in line! Hop in your wheelchair while orthopedics sets your appointment at 6 months out. Just ask some friends north of the border how easy it is to snap your fingers and get care up there!
Agree with @Ironman that Twitter is a better vehicle.
Once again, Stanford takes the low road and penalizes the frontline healthcare workers. The CEO and high ranking Stanford administrators should all drastically reduce their salaries to subsidize the neediest healthcare workers. We are in the midst of the greatest health and economic war challenge in my lifetime, and I’m 77. Robber Baron school like Stanford should be raising the salaries of their healthcare workers, not lowering them!
All this while the City of Palo Alto plans to give it’s employees raises.
Seems like rather than a pay cut, they should be paid a bonus.
They show show up and care for the most sick.
There will be plenty of time to make up the shortfall.
Emergency room down40%? Now that tells us something
Hope the decision makers re think the cut.
Many of these hospital workers are on the front line, putting their lives at risk to take care of Covid patients. Higher paid administrators who work farther from infected patients should take greater cuts if cuts must be made, but folks on the front lines should not also have to deal with losing pay right now. Stanford, what are you thinking?
Thank you, hospital workers, for the heroic work you are doing. I am lucky to be in good health, but it is a comfort for all of us to know that people like you are willing and so very able to take care of the unlucky people who are struck by this virus. Bless you and THANK YOU.
In 2017 Stanford Healtcare 501c3 Total Revenue was $4,113,394,841 – STANFORD HEALTH CARE 227 STANFORD CA, TAX-EXEMPT SINCE JUNE 1959 EIN: 94-6174066 SOURCE https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/946174066
The new hospital cost TWO BILLION and grand opening was celebrated with a huge catered party of open bars and music, patients not on that guest list.
This is not a rural low income hosptial with no assets, this is the Ritz Carlton of hospitals and cutting salaries during a pandemic is DEPLORABLE.
Some comments reference the University’s endowment, but Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s (Packard) are NOT part of the University and don’t have access to those funds.
Regarding a pay cut, no one is being forced to take a pay cut, although that’s an option. Everyone is being allowed to take the mandated time off as PTO. If one doesn’t have enough PTO, they can borrow it. You don’t have to pay back that money unless you quit before making it back up. Instead, half of the PTO one accrues going forward goes to pay back what was borrowed and the rest goes into their PTO bank.
This is an unfortunate situation, but layoffs and furloughs are worse IMO. Businesses are closing in a lot of areas, and many people in our communities have even bigger financial losses.
Only in America can you lose your job, health care, housing, and savings when the government orders you not to work and you’re expected to figure it out yourself.
Love the discussion: most saying, in one form or another, SHAME ON STANFORD!!!!! SHAME!SHAME!
Stanford had a disastrous nurses strike several years ago, brought in traveling nurses, paid them more than the regular RNs and put them up at the Weston Hotel; across the street. More money was spent than the Nurses’ salary increase request.
These ladies and gentlemen, have saved many lives, worked long hours to keep us safe and are rewarded how? with a choice between a pay cut or using their vacation? This while working in a new multi-billion $$$ hospital?
There is no job harder than being a medical professional on the front line! People’s lives are in your hands… 1 mistake is too many.
Stanford should use some of their endowment, cut Director’s salaries, delay additional construction or ?? to find the funds to pay their medical personnel. This is truly shamefull.
Because of a large budget shortfall due to no care/surgical income and huge expenditures to prepare for Covid, all SHC employees, including the CEO, have the choice to either take 10 days paid time off during the April 27th – July 3 period, take days of unpaid leave (or a combo of unpaid and PTO), or take a temporary 20% pay reduction during that time period. This means zero layoffs. Basically, it’s “Take a vacation.” Source: I work there. If they don’t have PTO time, they can go into the negative. Not good to have PTO debt, as one must pay it back if one leaves, but there you go. So, I am going to take 10 days of vacation over the next couple months.
Rita and others parrot the mistaken belief that stanford university and stanford health care are one entity. They are not. People should also find out exactly what the move by SHC involves instead of just taking the “national enquire” style headline as fact.
Is there another employer who charges their employees for parking?
Green gables- I believe you will find that most universities charge for parking. But what is your point?
This whole program has been handled very poorly by current hospital administration/leadership. Don’t we miss the Amir Rubin days?!
The TWA (Temporary Workforce Adjustment) program forces everyone to participate. This program launched today, 4/27. Employees are given 2 options. (really no options but here’s the breakdown)
1) 20% pay cut or 2) forced PTO 80hrs — Duration: 10 weeks. (disregard Memorial and 4th of July – those are given) So taking 1 day off per week is equivalent to 20% reduction in pay for the 10 week period. They cannot promise they will not take further measures on Layoffs. Too soon to tell, right? But what if you do get laid off? They say, if you “leave” Stanford before the 10 week period, you will need to pay Stanford back the money. WOW, making sure the door hits hard enough on your way out – we’d love for you to be our next ED patient. During the Stanford Community-wide town halls, the respective HR leadership for SOM, LPCH and SHC (which btw are beyond the worst performing ever, morale is record low and all the VP’s secretly hate them and talk constantly behind their back) made such a poor presentation on this. They dodge questions and never gave enough info, it’s outrageous! Whatever happen to putting your employees first? Staff have no choice but to comply.
There’s a lot of great ethically minded people at Stanford, don’t get me wrong, some unfortunately won’t speak up and will play their part in this charade. For all the other loving and amazing staff at the 3 institutions, here is my message: Take a moment to look at your “leadership”, Look, Look at them, feel in your hearts, they aren’t the ones meant to be leading you.
This is very disheartening. Does every decision in the US has to be based on money? How about some compassion? The Netherlands gave its healthcare workers a bonus due to COVID-19.
They’ve got Leo Villareal LED lights on their 30-foot Buckyball but want my family to order the 12-inch Air Jordan but not the 14-inch The Fridge.
If you all think this is bad, wait ’till this recession turns into a depression……….unless CA is opened up soon!! Newsom just announced that it will be shut down through May. Be glad you’ve got a job!!…now!
Neighbors and friends. Copy your comments and paste in reply to twitter news piece if you happen to have an account. Problem with massive beasts like Stanford healthcare is that they won’t budge unless they get pressure in the media. And to all the comments that Stanford university a different entity an Stanford healthcare you are correct, BUT- the school of medicine, the dean, are part and parcel of SHC decision making. There is a responsibility that falls on the University as well. Most employees are barely making it and attrition rates for Stanford medical school faculty and staff is exceptionally high and recruit is almost impossible now more than ever. Link twitter news https://twitter.com/paloaltoweekly/status/1253846364552749058?s=21
Nurses in California are paid very well. Industry gossip is Stanford senior nurses make $90+ an hour plus benefits. Even with temp 20% pay cut, they will survive. However, I believe that senior executives handled this poorly. As a nurse at the VA Palo Alto, I was on Stanford campus and overheard staff comp!aints. However, I question the vast travel staff Stanford utilizes; what happens to them???
The Palo Alto whiners are out in full force. Many workers are losing their jobs and people are complaining about being asked to take a few days off between now and July 4.
Americans are getting very very soft. How would today’s society survived the hardships of WWII?
Stanford and Stanford Health Care are one and the same by any reasonable definition. I refuse to acknowledged the fraudulent corporate Trump-like structure that the accountants came up with to separate the medical arm from the rest of the university. Stanford profits immensely from SHC during good times, sending their students literally across the street for a variety of research purposes. Isn’t it convenient that during hard times they can cut the cord and claim “nothing to see here, the 27 billion dollars in the bank is part of the OTHER Stanford”.
Shame on STANFORD — the entire university. $27 billion dollar endowment and you’re cutting wages on people making almost nothing.
How much money did the Hospital administration waste on their infamous “consultants” to arrive at this ploy, as reviewed by their stable of attorneys.
True to decades of habit, the administration apparently operates with a hidden agenda of inflicting decisions that divide staff members and territorialize groups against one another.
Follow the Hospital lawyers, consultants and follow the money.
Chris–and as we know, some Palo alto residents just love to denigrate stanford. I am surprised that simitian has not chimed in yet.
JR- whether you think stanford and SHC are one entity is irrelevant. You have no real knowledge.
Stanford and Stanford Hospital among the biggest frauds our nation has ever encountered. Corruption in the form of cover-ups, retaliation, and fake research (everyone on faculty knows the Stanford IRB exists only in name) are standard operating procedure. The “good” faculty and staff keep their heads down while people in power exploit workers and the public for sport. Local and national papers too cozy and complicit to expose these jerks. Go ahead and take this post down… its the truth!
Stanford – you are creating “bad press” right now. You have a 100 year old dam above the city and your campus. you have RV dwellers outside your campus, and you have a reduced wages for your workers. You are creating bad press by your actions and you will not live it down.
And yet Stanford still turns away 95% of their applicants?
Are El Camino Hospital and UCSF reducing salaries by 20 percent? Are New York Hospitals lowering salaries in this crisis? What is going on here?
I find it difficult to understand the pay reduction to health care staffs. Stanford hospital can afford to build a $2 billion new hospital but can afford to pay full amount to the staff?
Talk about a twisted headline!
I work for one of the hospitals and the current financial situation is REAL. Let me state some facts for those who apparently have no clue.
1. University and Hospital are SEPARATE entities.
2. Employees can choose 20% PTO, 20% unpaid time off, or 20% reduction in pay. Most are taking PTO. For the record, I’m seeing many people offering to take more time for those who don’t have enough saved.
3. People can go negative with their PTO but based on my calculations, someone with currently no PTO won’t have many unpaid hours because they continue to accrue PTO as they use it. If they were already negative they may be able to get donations from a pool or have others offer to take more time. The hospitals allow for high PTO balances so there are plenty of workers with an abundance of time.
4. Those in busy units aren’t having to take the extra time. Care should not be affected.
5. Both Stanford and Lucile Packard are NPO
6. The significant volume reduction presents cash flow issues which must be addressed. Opening up a $2B hospital may sound like the hospital has abundant cash flow but they financed it so it’s not like the cash is lying around.
7. This really is a shared sacrifice. It’s across the board.
8. No one is being let go.
9. This program can end at any time if volumes come back up.
10. No one should lose their benefits through this.
11. Hospitals all over the country are furloughing workers. The fact that Stanford and Lucile Packard followed suit with its own (much lighter) version should have come as no surprise to the many workers who were sitting idle or watching the volumes dissipate.
I’m not wealthy. I rent and don’t own. I’m grateful that I have a job when so many don’t. Please don’t take this article’s headlines at face value. It’s very misleading. The hospitals are taking the approach necessary to stay financially healthy and true to their missions. None of this is easy, but it’s the right move. Of course some people are going to be upset (life is rarely perfect) but the alternative is massive future layoffs.
I’m taking my PTO though my work is still busy. I’m taking it as an opportunity to spend PAID time with my kids and working through other PTO days. And because I have enough PTO saved, I’ll be offering extra tor those who don’t have enough. My unit cares about each other and appreciates our leadership. There will always be those who are unhappy and complain. In fact it is more common for people to complain publicly than to applaud publicly. Look up negativity bias. But I’m here to tell you that there are plenty who understand why we are doing this. And we are grateful.
For those who think executives can take a cut and spare everyone else, here is some basic math to show why it’s not going to help enough.
Let’s say average salary is $80k per year. I’m reality many nurses and folks are making much more but you have those making less too…and 20% is the minimum reduction as there are also those being told to reduce by 40%.
$80,000 x .25 (12 weeks being roughly 25% of the year) = $20,000
Roughly a 20% reduction = $4,000 per employee.
Multiply by 14,000 workers and that gets you to $56 million. I don’t think executives are making this much at either hospital.
This was just a rough calculation but it shows how across the board reduction is necessary.
One other thing to mention about use of PTO. Since it’s accrued, it is considered an expense on the books so use of PTO DOES help.
Are other hospitals laying off or cutting back? Absolutely. Google it, and there are articles about this happening all over.
Regarding artwork in the new hospital (including the “Buckyball” sculpture),, Stanford Health Care didn’t pay for any of it. Over 400 original works of art were all either donated or paid for with private donations.
PLEASE offer the residents unpaid time off. Most of us will take it, and you can give our salaries to those who are living paycheck to paycheck, and you will free us to to go volunteer our services to the community
The lowest paid workers go back and forth from ESSENTIAL to EXPENDABLE depending on the patient population. The management works consistently whether we have patients or not. Between March 27 and April 27 I have been cancelled 11 eight hour shifts. I kind of feel I do my part to keep hospital costs low! Maybe the people responsible for the patient population should take a bigger cut in this TWA.