ROANOKE, Va. – Carilion Clinic is implementing furloughs in addition to cutting hours and pay for some employees amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials did not have an exact number of impacted employees. This comes after the hospital system put restrictions in place for visitors and halted all non-essential services.

According to a release from Carilion, some employees already faced cuts to their hours while others were repurposed or trained for new roles over the past six weeks.

Staff members who were not able to be reassigned have had the option of using paid time off so that they can continue to receive pay and benefits, according to the release.

Carilion officials say furloughed employees will be able to receive state unemployment benefits, and Carilion will pay their premiums for medical, dental and vision insurance.

“We’re making these difficult choices now so that we can come through the other side of this pandemic stronger, and ready to address the pent-up medical needs of our community,” said Nancy Howell Agee, president and CEO of Carilion Clinic. “I’m certain that as our community rebounds from this situation, we will need all of our dedicated employees, and my goal is to welcome them back to work as soon as possible and as soon as it is safe to do so.”

According to the release, Agee and her executive vice presidents are taking a 20% pay cut, and all senior vice presidents and vice presidents are taking a 10% pay cut over the next six weeks.

Aside from employees, other priorities for Carilion will be impacted as well.

All new contracts, renewals and vendor relationships will be reviewed to see of they can be until the pandemic is over, and capital projects, including the expansion of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, will be on hold until next year, according to the release.