Wyoming Area School Board 
New Majority On Board Makes Reassignments

Alleged Incident With Knife Sends W-b Woman To Jail 
18-year-old Pulls Knife On Another Woman Outside Of Inn In Tunkhannock, State
Police Say.

By JOE SYLVESTER Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, December 07, 1999 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 9B 





SCRANTON - Eleven home health nurses who work for Mercy Health Partners in
the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton areas will lose their jobs on Dec. 20, the
victims of decreases in federal reimbursements, a Mercy spokesman said Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 However, the licensed practical nurses might not be out of work for long -
all may bid on other unionized nursing positions in Mercy's Scranton hospital
or apply for a job with the system in Wilkes-Barre, which is covered by a
different contract, said Jeff Lewis, Mercy vice president of marketing and
public relations. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ``Even though the positions are being eliminated, everyone will have the
option to move into other positions at Mercy,'' Lewis said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lewis said the laid-off nurses could bid on positions currently filled,
which could force some other nurses out of their jobs, depending on their
standing in the union. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But those nurses won't be out of work, the spokesman said, noting other
positions are open. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One woman claiming to be one of the laid-off nurses said she and others
were concerned there are not enough open positions, and some of the positions
were on different shifts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The woman, who contacted the newspaper but would not give her name, said
the nurses also did not want to bump others from their jobs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But, Lewis said: ``We don't anticipate anyone being out of employment, if
they choose not to be.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The nurses are members of the District 1199P Service Employees
International Union. A union representative could not be reached for comment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mercy Health Partners, which operates hospitals in the two cities and in
Nanticoke, is laying off the nurses because of decreases in Medicare
reimbursements. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``This is basically a decision because of changes in reimbursement,'' Lewis
said. ``It's just an unfortunate reality in today's health environment.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The caller said one nurse who was being laid off had worked for Mercy for
18 years. She said those who work in Wilkes-Barre do not want to have to work
in Scranton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lewis said all 11 of the laid-off nurses are considered Scranton-based
employees because that is where the Home Health/Hospice Department is based.
He said, though, five of the 11 nurses have some responsibilities in the
Wilkes-Barre area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lewis did not know the total number of nurses who work for the home health
unit or the number of patients they currently care for. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

11 Home Health Nurses To Lose Jobs