Company planning job cuts
Albert Gallatin Home Care and Hospice will eliminate some administrative positions over the next few months in a cost-cutting measure, according to a company official. Gerald Shuttlesworth, the company’s executive director, said Friday that back office functions such as finance and accounting no longer will be done at the company’s Cherry Tree office in South Union Township. Instead, Albert Gallatin’s parent company, Tender Loving Care Healthcare Services Inc. in New York, will provide the services, Shuttlesworth said.
The move will eliminate fewer than 10 jobs, according to Shuttlesworth. He said other displaced workers will be placed in other positions within the company, while some have chosen to retire.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep as many people on board as possible,” he said.
Tender Loving Care (TLC) is a healthcare agency that has 66 locations, including Albert Gallatin, in 23 states.
Shuttlesworth said TLC provides “cost-effective” back office functions for the other health-care companies in the division, and Albert Gallatin was the only one of its health-care providers that didn’t use those services.
“We recently opted, after thinking about it for several months, to transfer back office functions to TLC headquarters,” he said. “We felt it no longer made sense for us to be doing this when TLC will provide these functions.”
Shuttlesworth estimated the move would save Albert Gallatin a couple million dollars a year.
“We were spending a great deal of money and it’s more cost-efficient for us to allow TLC to handle these functions,” he said.
Patients and caregivers will not be affected by the change, Shuttlesworth said. However, the move will mean some administrative employees who once took care of billing and other types of paperwork will no longer have a job.
Money the company is able to save from the move will be used to keep up with ever-growing demand for health-care services, Shuttlesworth said, adding that Albert Gallatin hired 61 new employees this year in order to provide care for a growing list of customers.
“We’ve experienced major growth,” he said.
Albert Gallatin has five locations – in Uniontown, Monongahela, Washington, Butler and Masontown – and provides health-care services for all of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Shuttlesworth said the company is committed to providing cost-effective services and will continue to provide its patients with the best care possible.
He said the “internal changes” taking placed at Albert Gallatin will not affect patients.