. When I had first read of Ballad furloughing 1300 workers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought, “Here we go, another horrid Ballad tale….” But the story is more complex. Yes, Ballad IS letting 1300 workers go right now but will continue to pay their health care costs. They will assist those (in TN, it was unclear whether this also applied to those furloughed in VA) who applied for unemployment with the process. AND-this is the part that caught my attention-the CEO of Ballad is taking a 100% pay cut for 60 days; the Senior Vice President and above will take a 20% reduction for the same time period, and the Assistant Vice Presidents will be taking a 10% pay cut during this time. HOWEVER, Ballad is also apparently asking its physicians and advanced practice providers to take a 20% pay cut for this duration. These are direct service providers during the midst of a healthcare crisis. Granted, they might not be called upon as much as E.R. physicians at this moment. But given the difficulty of keeping doctors AT ALL here in SWVA, do you think this a wise move? I would suggest not. Appalachia needs its healthcare professionals to have reasons to stay, and I suspect that Ballad’s financial struggles are just going to deepen. What cuts are made now are likely just the beginning. Ballad will be in this whatever comes next along with the rest of us.
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