Clayton Freeman

cfreeman@jacksonville.com

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Mayo Clinic confirmed Friday night that it is beginning furloughs and pay cuts for some staff members beginning at the end of the month, the result of economic disruptions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

The development was first reported by Action News.

The furloughs and salary reductions are scheduled to take effect on April 28. The duration of time, the percentage of the salary decreases and the number of employees affected are not specified.

In a statement to the Times-Union, a Mayo Clinic spokesman said expenses are being cut at all Mayo locations, part of what were described as “necessary” measures to ensure the organization’s stability.

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“Mayo Clinic is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of these circumstances, including a financial impact that requires significant adjustments to our operations,” the clinic said in a statement. “The decision to proactively postpone elective patient care was the right one, but it eliminated the majority of our revenue at the same time we are making critical investments to develop and expand testing, conduct research to stop the pandemic and re-align our facilities and care teams to treat COVID-19 patients.”

The clinic said full pay and benefits will remain in place through April 28.

“We will work with our teams in the coming weeks to ensure that our staff are supported, that the duration of this disruption is as limited as possible, and that we are ready to ramp up quickly and resume full operations when it is safe to do so,” the clinic said.

Mayo Clinic has, among other programs, launched an expanded COVID-19 testing program for current patients.