Changes to the organizational structure of the Detroit Medical Center could impact staffing at an area hospital.

The plan calls for simplifying the management structure through various job reductions. The announcement was made Monday in a memo, although the exact number of jobs to be cut throughout the multi-hospital system were not released. DMC has steadily been eliminating roughly 100 positions every year, for the past three years. However, it’s possible this year’s cuts to the 11,000-person workforce could go deeper than that. In late 2017, members of the Professional Nurses Association of Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township sued hospital executives and management, alleging dangerously low staffing levels, unsafe conditions and significant concerns for patient safety. The association is an affiliate member of the Michigan Nurses Association and is comprised of around 350 nurses. The DMC has denied the claims being made in the suit.

CEO Dr. Tony Tedeschi said the organizational and leadership changes will reduce the DMC’s workforce in coming weeks over the next month, saying the decisions are extremely difficult and they do not take them lightly. He says the changes are necessary to align DMC with the health care landscape and ensure they can invest in opportunities for the future of the hospital system. (JM)