YouTube: Where you can find music videos, tutorials, breaking news and … your job status?

Last week, Charleston Area Medical Center Health System CEO David Ramsey utilized the platform to announce the system’s decision to eliminate 300 jobs by the end of the year.

In the seven-minute video, Ramsey pointed out the numerous challenges facing hospitals and health systems across the country, including accessibility, the discussion around the Affordable Care Act and rising costs.

Speaking of finances, the Charleston, West Virginia-based system isn’t doing so hot. At the end of May, CAMC’s operations were on course to lose over $40 million in 2017, Ramsey said.

He attributed this financial burden to several factors, including the system’s reliance on Medicare and Medicaid. Currently, only 17 percent of its patients are commercially insured, down from 20 percent five years ago.

The escalating costs of drugs and technology, the nationwide nursing shortage and the need to maintain clinics all play a role in CAMC’s fiscal struggle. Additionally, its EHR conversion is having an impact on its budget.

The system is thereby enacting a new plan, which includes the 300 job cuts. Fifty-six positions have already been eliminated, and CAMC hopes the remaining reductions will take place through attrition.

Ramsey added that the system is closing its Dean Ornish program, pulmonary rehab program, Cross Lanes pharmacy and Lighthouse Childcare and Development Center. It will realign its dental and fertility centers with other departments.

In closing, Ramsey said:

Please know that we do not make these decisions lightly, especially when they affect the livelihood of our employees and the care to our patients. However, we also must not take lightly the obligation we have as the largest provider of critical hospital care in our region. We must remain sustainable for the future. Our community depends on CAMC.

The cutbacks are perhaps not surprising given CAMC’s history. In January, it implemented a hiring free on nonclinical staff members. That same month, Ramsey said officials were looking at cutting programs and services in an effort to meet a goal of $20 million in annual profit, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

But the way Ramsey announced the reductions — via YouTube — is a bit unusual. The forthright message is slightly reminiscent of the video former MD Anderson Cancer Center president Ronald DePinho used to reveal his resignation.

Check out Ramsey’s message below:

Photo: MarsBars, Getty Images