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On Tuesday, Providence Health administrators told staff and patients they were ending a program that sent speech language pathologists to the homes of patients whose diseases made it difficult to talk. These therapists are experts in specialized eye-tracking software that help patients who otherwise cannot speak to communicate, or even browse the web.
“This was a strategic decision for our agency to focus on our core home health business and services,” wrote Kristen O’Halloran, Providence’s home health director in an email sent Oct. 8.
The blowback was immediate. The pathologists’ union, the Oregon Nurses Association, announced three people were being laid off, the fourth round of layoffs this year in that unit alone. “Once again, Providence proves it cares more about profits than patients,” ONA said in a statement.
Patients were equally aghast. Laura Green, who has the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, said in an email to Providence that the decision to cut the service was not only “heartless” but “reckless.”
“Do you fully grasp what this means for patients like me? You are stripping away one of the last remaining lifelines that helps us maintain our connection to the world and our ability to safeguard our health,” she wrote.
So, on Thursday, Providence said in a statement to WW that it was rethinking its plans to end the program on Nov. 8. “We’ve paused the program’s end date pending collaboration with key stakeholders,” says spokesperson Jean Marks.
Still, the layoff plans appear unchanged. “The three affected caregivers remain employed through Nov. 8,” says Marks.