Workforce Reduction: A Message From Bert Nash Center CEO Patrick Schmitz

The Bert Nash Center continues to experience negative financial impacts associated with COVID-19. Our Center’s participation in the Paycheck Protection Program provided a bridge for us, but unfortunately, we must make additional cuts to be sustainable.

These cuts will come in two forms: workforce reduction and salary reduction.

Workforce reduction

Fifteen (15) positions will be eliminated, effective July 4, 2020. Some of these positions are open and will simply not be filled. Others, though, are currently filled. For those staff who are losing employment, their positions will be paid through the end of the current pay cycle, allowing these staff to keep their health insurance through the month of July.

For those people losing employment that provide direct client care, they will have the opportunity to help clients transition to new providers. Despite these reductions, there will be no reduction in client services or limits to access to services to the community, and we will do everything we can to help ease this difficult transition.

Salary reduction

Effective with the payroll period beginning July 5, for the next six months, all other staff at the Center will receive a reduction in salary or wages according to the following method:

•    Chief Executive Team –- 8%

•    Program Directors, MD’s and Mid-Level Providers – 6%

•    Program Managers – 5%

•    Program Supervisors – 4%

•    All other staff – 1%

These salary reductions are anticipated to sunset in 6 months depending on the ongoing impact of the pandemic on the Center’s financial performance during this time.

The Bert Nash Center is aware we are not the only business locally experiencing the negative financial impact of COVID-19 and facing these difficult financial decisions. Our heart goes out to those other businesses and their team members. As your community mental health center, we know we are an essential provider and must navigate through challenging times in order to remain available to our community to assist our fellow citizens in their time of need. These decisions are designed to keep us open and providing services well into the future and to allow us to weather this present turbulence. The Bert Nash Center’s Governing and Endowment Boards fully support the Bert Nash Center through this difficult time.

The Bert Nash Center remains open and available to serve our community and is dedicated to providing quality, effective mental health services. Should you have questions on any of the above, please contact me at 785-830-1878 or pschmitz@bertnash.org.

Sincerely,

Patrick Schmitz

President and Chief Executive Officer