After Munson Healthcare announced plans Monday to "significantly transform" patient care and operations as part of a pandemic recovery plan - a process expected to include cutting nearly 250 jobs systemwide - Munson Medical Center released more details on cuts and impacted leadership positions at the Traverse City hospital in an all-staff email Tuesday.

President & CEO Matt Wille wrote to employees that "over the course of the next couple of days, approximately two percent of Munson Medical Center’s staff will be impacted" by reductions. "It is our priority to avoid impacting our people whenever possible, but staffing reductions are an unfortunate necessity in order to build a more sustainable healthcare model for the future of our community and the region," Wille wrote.

According to Wille, the following leadership positions will be impacted by the cuts:

> Chief Operating Officer
> Director of Nursing for Women & Children’s Services
> Director of Orthopedic Services
> Facilities Design Manager
> Patient Transport Manager
> Nursing Services Manager
> Regional EMS Manager

Wille said he was "grateful for the dedication and leadership of each one of these individuals and every team member affected by these changes," adding that "these difficult decisions are not a reflection of their service to MMC or our community but based on a new structure we must implement in order to meet the challenges ahead. We are providing each of these employees whatever support we can. A transition plan is in place for each of the leaders mentioned above and if not already, the new lead will be reaching out to you soon."

Wille wrote that federal relief funds "will only cover a portion of the losses we experienced March through June and due to multiple factors, we don’t anticipate returning to pre-COVID-19 patient volumes in some areas for at least the next 12 months. In addition, state and federal spending cuts seem unavoidable due to budget deficits, further affecting healthcare funding even after COVID-19 has passed."