Since Texas Children’s Hospital announced its decision to cut 5 percent of its work force, several employees reached out to KPRC 2, saying they were among the roughly 1,000 who were cut.
The jobs lost range from nurses, urgent care employees, therapists, and non-healthcare employees.
At six months pregnant, Madison Rendall is preparing her firstborn’s nursery. She is also looking for a new job, after the environmental graphics coordinator was laid off.
“It’s blindsiding, to say the least,” Rendall said “Add on top of the fact that I’m six months pregnant and I’m terrified.”
The hospital said the choice to cut five percent of its workforce was made due to financial struggles and low patient numbers. Rendall said she was offered two months’ severance pay and insurance.
“My insurance is going to go up just before I’m supposed to give birth,” she said.
Rendall just missed the mark for maternity leave.
“It wasn’t approved yet, because they told me I needed to wait 30 days before I was supposed to go out on leave,” she said.
“My plan was to have eight weeks of maternity leave, four using theirs, and four weeks of mine,” she added.
Not only was Rendall an employee, but she is also a patient.
“Ironically enough, I’m supposed to be delivering at Texas Children’s. My doctor is a Texas Children’s doctor,” she said.
Fortunately, her patient status has not been impacted by the layoffs. She said now she is applying for jobs that she hopes will hire her while she is pregnant.
The hospital has stated the layoffs should not impact patient care. Former employees are questioning that, after telling KPRC 2 that dozens of speech, occupational and physical therapists were laid off from the Woodlands location, along with several therapists at the Medical Center location.
Former employees also tell KPRC 2 that patients were told services were not available until further notice.
KPRC 2 has been pushing for questions about the layoffs, but Texas Children’s Hospital has said it is not commenting any further.