Birmingham-based St. Vincent's Health System lays off 74 workers

Birmingham, AL-based St. Vincent's Health System has laid off 74 workers and closed another 55 open positions, affecting about 2% of the work force at the four-hospital system. The layoffs are the culmination of eight weeks of study during which consultants and teams of employees looked for ways to make the 4,700-employee organization more efficient. The Catholic health system is working to turn around two years of losses: an $8.5 million bottom line loss in the fiscal year that ended June 30 and a $35 million loss the year before.