Blue Hill hospital buyout plan announced to avoid layoffs

Blue Hill Memorial Hospital has announced a buyout plan aimed at creating permanent budget reductions and avoiding layoffs, according to a news release from the hospital. The hospital is calling its initiative a "voluntary separation incentive plan," under which all employees can apply for the buyouts, but administrators may choose to deny some applications. BHMH used dire language in describing the need for the buyout program, saying the hospital "must be ready to embrace the changes on our doorsteps or face the consequences of failing to keep pace—which could mean an end to healthcare delivery as we know it on the peninsula."