HOUSTON — Working for the reputed Texas Children’s Hospital in her hometown was a dream come true for a young nurse who didn't want to be identified.
"Working at Texas Children’s was amazing, the employees were amazing, coworkers, managers were amazing,” she said.
That’s why she was so disappointed when she got a phone call Tuesday morning from an HR employee with a very impersonal message.
"It was just, 'You’re laid off, you’re going to get severance pay, you’re not allowed to come back, you’re not allowed to get your things, they’ll be mailed to you,'” she said she was told. "Really, truly heartbreaking."
The hospital would not directly confirm layoffs to KHOU 11 News and would not speak with us on camera. Instead, it referred us to a report from the Houston Chronicle.
In that report, Chief Human Resources Officer Linda Aldred said the workforce was being cut by about 5% or roughly 1,000 of the organization’s 20,000 employees. She cited lower patient volumes and long-term financial challenges. There’s also been a rating downgrade and controversies over Medicaid funding and gender-affirming surgeries.
“I wish they had said something to us, like, “Hey you might want to start looking for another job because layoffs are happening soon,'” the nurse we spoke with said.
Several others who reached out to us shared her sentiments. They said those wanting to work with children may have the most difficult time.
"The Houston job market is about to be really competitive just because we have so many layoffs and everyone has to find a job,” the anonymous nurse said.
Texas Children's claims the layoffs should have no impact on the quality of patient care.