Monroe (LA) hospital plans to cut 300 jobs

St. Francis Medical Center, one of Ouachita Parish's largest private employers, plans to cut about 300 jobs before the end of the year. In a statement from the hospital on Tuesday, St. Francis said it would offer about 300 employees a voluntary workforce adjustment compensation package that would voluntarily end their employment before the end of the year. The News-Star reports the hospital also is considering a consolidation that would close its downtown campus and consolidate its operations into the St. Francis North hospital on U.S. 165 North. That decision is expected to be made this fall.