Seattle Children’s Hospital announces layoffs across 5 Washington locations

Seattle Children’s Hospital has announced a round of layoffs Wednesday that will affect 154 employees at five of its Washington hospitals, according to a state filing with the Employment Security Department.

The layoffs will take effect on Nov. 15, cutting down on staff across locations in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way, and Kennewick.

Seattle Children’s Hospital blames layoffs on lack of federal funding

Seattle Children’s will also eliminate 350 of its open positions, a move that the company claimed was caused by federal funding losses.

“Like health care institutions across the country, Seattle Children’s is facing significant financial impacts due to hundreds of millions of dollars in anticipated state and federal funding cuts,” a Seattle Children’s spokesperson said in a written statement.

Seattle Children’s noted that 133 positions are administrative, 15 positions have regular contact with patients but do not provide care, and six positions are care providers.

“We are making some difficult but necessary decisions to secure Children’s future and protect our ability to deliver compassionate care and life-saving research for the patients and families who need us,” a Seattle Children’s Hospital spokesperson wrote.

The layoffs announced Wednesday will affect approximately 1.5% of the hospital’s workforce, with more than 10,000 employees working across locations in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way, and Kennewick.

The healthcare industry had seen similar layoff announcements last month, with Providence Health cutting 131 positions in two layoff filings on Aug. 8 and 28. Providence pointed to rising costs, insurance delays, and policy changes as prompting the layoffs.

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