Bayada Home Health Care is laying off 682 workers in Florida while closing five of its locations in the state. The Business Observer was the first to report the news.
The locations hit hardest by the layoffs are Brooskville, Brandon and New Port Richey, where 306, 150 and 144 workers will lose their jobs, respectively, according to the report. Other locations that were affected include Clearwater and Tampa.
Overall, the Moorestown, New Jersey-based Bayada has about 26,000 employees. The company offers home health, hospice and personal care services through its 350 locations across 22 states, including Florida.
“Due to several external forces, we have made the difficult decision to close our locations that provide Medicaid personal care and support services in the state of Florida,” a Bayada spokesperson said in a statement shared with Home Health Care News. “This will impact four of our locations, a small percentage of our total Bayada client base in the state.”
Bayada will continue to serve clients through its private-pay personal care, Medicare-certified home health and private-duty nursing services in Florida, the spokesperson added.
The layoffs were first announced on Monday and will become effective on April 1, according to the Business Observer. Contextually, the job cuts come at a time when in-home care providers – including Bayada – struggle to find workers.
The home-based care nonprofit told HHCN that it is working closely with the impacted employees as they seek new opportunities. For some, that could potentially mean new roles within Bayada elsewhere in Florida.
“Our current Bayada clients and employees are our top priority during this transition,” the spokesperson continued. “We are working closely with our key referral partners to help ensure our clients have continued care.”
While it has received increased attention from state and federal policymakers, the Medicaid space remains a difficult one for many at-home care organizations. In particular, rising wages and skyrocketing operational costs paired with flat reimbursement levels have made it increasingly challenging to break even.
In November, Florida announced a plan to invest $1.1 billion in home- and community-based services (HCBS).
That total included more than $669 million ‘to directly address HCBS providers’ ongoing workforce challenges. It additionally included over $266 million in one-time payments to help providers with recruitment and retention of qualified staff.
“With this funding, Florida’s seniors and vulnerable residents will have even greater opportunity to receive the care they need to live and thrive in their homes and communities,” Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Simone Marstiller said in a statement.
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