The financial impact of the coronavirus has made its way to a South Jersey hospital.

Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, is asking for employees to take part in voluntary layoffs, according to a letter from Vice President of Human Resources Alan Beatty.

According to the medical center’s website, there are 1,500 employees and volunteers, along with more than 370 physicians.

“The financial impact of COVID-19 has been felt throughout the country, we have invested significant resources on equipment and PPE to protect our brave staff who are on the constant front lines caring for our patients,” Beatty wrote in the letter. “During this time, we have experienced the reality of a dramatic decrease in revenues due to the cancellation of usual elective surgeries and other scheduled services as we focus on protecting our staff and patients.”

Beatty mentioned Shore Medical Center was not the only facility facing difficulties, stating may hospitals are facing the same uphill battle. The hospital has taken steps such as reducing staff hours, but the measures have not been successful.

Shore Medical Center spokesman Brian Cahill confirmed the authenticity of the memo. Cahill said the hospital wanted to avoid the situation, but finances dictated the moves.

“Our volumes are drastically down, and we are, like everyone else, feeling the economic impact of the virus. We are doing what is necessary to provide our clinical teams on the front line with everything they need to treat our patients and remain safe,” said Cahill. “This includes making difficult decisions on allocating resources from other areas.”

Cahill added that voluntary layoffs were not something the Shore Medical Center wanted to do, but rather a measure to try to prevent further steps being taken.

“We are also trying to avoid what is happening or is likely to happen with other hospitals, including closures and mass layoffs. We have been asked by employees to have an option to be laid off, and we want to make sure that option is available to everyone.”

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Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.