Jefferson Lied to Us

Several months ago, when the largest employer in the region was acquired by Jefferson health system, I raised a number of questions about the potential for this massive deal to not necessarily be good for this region. Among the issues I raised was the likelihood of layoffs. Redundancy is a key factor in any such acquisition because labor costs are so significant at almost any corporation, nonprofit or for-profit. The hospital at the time denied that layoffs would be a result of this transaction.

As I expected, this statement was Trumpian in its basis in fact. I just learned that, in fact, 190 employees are losing their jobs. They were given just a few days’ notice.

For those of you who don’t remember, the Lehigh Valley had an unemployment rate in the 1980s that spiked somewhere around 13%. Other industrial towns were getting slaughtered, too. So some of the activist organizations around the state particularly in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and CACLV’s role in the Lehigh Valley pushed legislation that would require an employer to give its employees at least 30 days notice of a reduction in force. The catch was (ie Republicans weakened the bill by requiring a rifvto impact at least 200 employees).

I texted a high ranking executive at the hospital, asking for clarification on the hospitals’ plans, wanting to be fair and giving them a chance to set the record straight. I have not received the benefit of a phone call, text, or email.

I hope they’re not lying. Of course, our new president created a culture of lying in our country. But you would hope a hospital would be a little more straight with us.

Before I call them liars, I’m hoping to get a response to my inquiry. In the meantime, if you work at the hospital and are willing to provide any information that might be helpful, I would be willing to protect the source. I am not willing to back off on raising these questions just because they are a hospital.

So if you are willing to talk to me, you are welcome to send me an email at Alan-jennings@outlook.com.

Press Release:

Jefferson Health System, which acquired the Lehigh Valley’s largest employer, publicly stated that there would be no reductions in force as a result of its acquisition of Lehigh Valley Health Network. However, reports coming out of LVHN indicate that 190 employees were given just a few days’ notice before they were told to stay home.

When Jefferson Health announced that it would acquire LVHN, long-time community development advocate Alan Jennings raised concerns about the massive deal. A handful of relatively unknown board members made the decision to approve the deal with almost no input from community leaders. Jennings challenged the two hospitals’ top executives to slow down the process, seek input and be more deliberate in determining whether the deal was truly in the Lehigh Valley’s best interests. He cited the damage that could be inflicted on the real estate market if Jefferson opted to consolidate its services and sell off many of its properties. He also raised the question of what might come of the more than $l billion in liquid assets the nonprofit hospital has accumulated through many years of very profitable operations.

“President Donald Trump has created a culture of lying, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Jennings said, “that an institution that depends on its credibility and the integrity from which that credibility is drawn fits its relationship with its patients, donors, vendors and medical providers into that culture.” He added: “I wonder what else they aren’t telling us. Will our real estate market take a hit? Will LVHN’s cash assets be spent in Philadelphia? Will the quality of their care decline?”

Jennings claims that he won’t be getting the truth because hospital executives stopped talking to him when he published an opinion column raising concerns in The Morning Call and on Facebook.

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Alan Jennings retired as Executive Director of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley in 2021, having worked there for 42 years, 32 as its CEO. The Lehigh County Historical Society recently placed his professional papers in their archives, making his one of the most historically consequential careers in the history of the county.