WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — Staff at Clark Regional Medical Center in Winchester are grappling with uncertainty following recent announcements of financial cuts imposed by their parent company, LifePoint Health. ICU nurse Emileigh Wallace, who has been with the hospital since January 2024, voiced concerns not only for her livelihood but also for her colleagues.
“We are trying to still be there and do the best that we can, despite what they are doing to us,” Wallace stated, emphasizing the dedication of the nursing staff amid troubling changes.
During a staff meeting earlier this week, nurses and other medical personnel learned that significant cuts would soon affect their pay structures. “What was told to us is that our incentive pay, which nurses and other staff members have been receiving—lab techs, radiology staff, and those in the clinic—will be reduced,” Wallace explained. Specifically, she and her ICU colleagues are facing a loss of $5 per hour—referred to as critical care pay—as well as the elimination of their weekend incentive, which typically provided an additional $8 per hour depending on the shift.
Clark Regional Medical Center has been under LifePoint Health’s ownership since 2010, and these changes to pay and benefits are expected to take effect as early as next week. “I love Clark; my co-workers love Clark. Our management is incredible. Our CEO and CNO are fighting hard for us, and we see them daily, making sure everything is up to par,” Wallace shared.
Despite the support from management, Emileigh noted that some staff members have already stated their intention to leave for other opportunities. “There were a lot of tears shed and no answers as to why. Our management is distraught; they were so upset telling us all of this, knowing what the response would be,” she said, acknowledging the emotional toll these changes have taken on the team. She highlighted the difficulties for employees, like herself, for whom nursing is the primary source of income for their households.
The reasoning behind the financial cuts remains unclear to the staff. Still, Emileigh insists that their commitment to patient care will not waver. “Patients come to us at their worst times, and when one facility or one unit lacks, it puts a damper on everything. We really need corporate to understand that,” she noted emphatically.
As the situation unfolds, the dedicated team at Clark Regional Medical Center remains focused on providing the best care for their patients, even amid uncertainty.
LEX 18 has reached out to LifePoint Health for comments and received the following statement:
To be clear, there were not cuts across the board to nurse pay and benefits; however, there are some changes that are happening as we standardize some of our policies across hospitals and employees.
Lifepoint Health is committed to creating great workplaces and ensuring a consistent employee experience across our many sites of care. We are making significant investments in new technology, systems and processes to improve the daily work environment for our staff, especially at the bedside. At the same time, we are in the process of standardizing pay and benefits programs, including premium pay, paid time off (PTO) and holidays, to be more consistent across hospitals and employees and in line with others in our industry. Some premium pay policy and PTO changes may increase overall compensation for some employees and potentially decrease it for others. We are committed to minimizing the impact of any changes on our employees and encourage staff to talk with their manager and local leaders about concerns. Hope this is helpful. Thanks.
Emily Serck
SVP, Communications and Corporate Affairs
Lifepoint Health
