Optum, a healthcare company owned by UnitedHealth Group, is laying off 525 people in multiple locations, many of them at urgent care facilities in Southern California.
The company, in a notice to the state’s Employment Development Department, said it was carrying out layoffs and “departmental closures” at 14 locations including Glendora, Montebello, Covina, Pasadena, Long Beach, Redlands, Highlands, Los Angeles, Beaumont, Irvine, El Segundo, Cerritos and Hayward in Alameda County.
Optum’s letter indicated that 161 of the terminated jobs are connected to California facilities but are performed remotely outside the state.
The layoffs will begin in a series of eight waves, the letter states, beginning Sept. 16 and concluding in January 2025.
Optum did not provide a reason for the job cuts in its letter to the state. It noted that none of the affected employees are represented by a union and that the layoffs will be permanent.
The department closures include urgent care facilities and physician offices in all cities mentioned except El Segundo and Cerritos, based on addresses provided by Optum. Other locations closing include two infusion centers.
In an email to the Southern California News Group on Wednesday, Optum declined to say why 525 people were losing their jobs and whether any severance pay would be offered. But the company is open to shifting affected employees to open positions within the company.
“We continually review the capabilities and services we offer to meet the growing and evolving needs of our businesses and the people we serve,” the statement reads. “As always, we will support affected team members with job placement resources and seek to deploy them where possible to any open roles within the company.”
The list of jobs to be terminated includes dozens of nurses, nurse practitioners, radiology technicians, physicians in urgent care and cardiology, patient care coordinators, and medical assistants. While some jobs were noted as hourly,…
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