FLORIDA, USA — One day after news broke of Shriners Children's Florida closing its doors after 35 years in the Tampa Bay area, the hospital now says it was not ready to make the announcement just yet.
Mel Bower, a spokesperson for Shriners, says the clinic was still working on finding affiliate hospitals to operate out of before making the announcement to patients and staff.
However, according to Bower, once the news leaked, the hospital was forced to break the news prematurely.
"Our plan was always that we would have an affiliate relationship fully established, then we would let our patients know first what their future care pathway would look like, then we could inform the general public," Bower says.
"This was not at all what we had intended."
In a statement on Thursday, the nonprofit said it was transitioning portions of its care to local and state affiliates. Because of that, Bower says there will be layoffs.
A "WARN" notice sent to the state shows 38 employees, across various positions, will be laid off as their jobs "are no longer necessary."
"This action is expected to be permanent," the notice reads.
Locally, the nonprofit says it is nearing a potential care pathway to maintain a level of specialized care in the Tampa Bay area. Bower says the closure and partnering with affiliates will allow more children across the region to receive services in the future.
The planned transition is set to begin on Apr. 1 and will continue to redistribute services for several months.
The Shriners Children's healthcare system will remain headquartered in Tampa, as it has been for more than 40 years. The Shriners Children's Genomics Institute will remain at its current location at the University of South Florida's campus, according to a previous statement.