PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – PeaceHealth confirmed 51 employees at its Southwest Washington facilities have been laid off. 

The company shared a statement with KOIN 6 News Wednesday that said it is responding to the significant challenges healthcare organizations are facing across the U.S. 

These 51 positions were eliminated from PeaceHealth’s Columbia network, which includes its hospitals and clinics in Vancouver and Longview. The sleep lab in Vancouver will no longer offer overnight services as of June 30, 2023. 

PeaceHealth said it will continue to provide sleep consultations and home sleep studies and will work with other providers to find alternatives for overnight sleep lab services. 

Even as it lays off dozens of employees, PeaceHealth said there are “comprehensive plans” underway to recruit additional nurses to ensure patients can return home as quickly as possible. They’re also trying to “grow the services we know our community members need,” PeaceHealth said in its statement. 

The company is working to match qualified caregivers with the nearly 1,300 clinical roles it has open across PeaceHealth. 

“As always, we are also adjusting operations and services to reflect changes in our communities and ensure we are being responsible to our healing Mission into the future,” PeaceHealth said.