DETROIT – The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) announced Wednesday it is furloughing 480 staff members as it works to divert additional resources to its COVID-19 care.

Audrey Gregory, COO of DMC, said they are reducing costs, and hours worked, and implementing furloughs of certain jobs as part of steps to divert additional resources to COVID-19 care and other urgent medical procedures that cannot be deferred.

“We are providing all furloughed employees with medical benefits support consistent with their elections and at no cost to them, covering the employee and employer contributions of premiums for medical, employee/spouse critical illness and supplemental life during this time,” reads a statement from Gregory. “In addition, we are offering information to impacted employees so that they may access salary protection through enhanced state unemployment benefits that are available to them. For many roles, these benefits could provide eligible individuals with a significant majority of their income as a replacement. Our expectation is that we can return impacted staff to service once we navigate through this unprecedented time and our core business gets back to normal. These actions do not impact direct bedside nursing care for COVID-19 and do not impact emergency or medically necessary care access for patients with other medical conditions. We remain appropriately staffed to provide our full support to treat patients in greater Detroit.”

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