Several East Bay hospitals that serve Alameda County’s most vulnerable residents have issued layoff notices to staff, citing major federal cuts to Medicaid that administrators say will significantly affect their finances.
Alameda Health System (AHS), which oversees five major public hospitals, including Highland Hospital in Oakland, said the layoffs are largely the result of a $1 trillion reduction to Medicaid under the Trump administration. In California, the program is known as Medi-Cal. According to AHS, about 60 percent of its patients rely on the program.
Longtime Alameda Health System patient Benny Middlebrooks said he worries the staffing cuts will jeopardize care for patients like him…