Phoenix-area cancer center lays off 52 employees

PHOENIX– Fifty-two employees at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Goodyear have received lay off notices in a nationwide downsizing.

The cuts have affected 350 of the company’s workers, about 6 percent of the cancer center’s national workforce and 8.3 percent of the Phoenix-area facility’s workforce, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.

The company said in a prepared statement from a spokeswoman that the cuts are needed to “align with the reality of the emerging health care economy.”

The statement from Nicole McTheny, director of regional development for the center in Goodyear, continued: “Our commitment to the delivery of exceptional patient-centered cancer care remains resolute, as does our plan to reach and serve more patients who are seeking our care in the years ahead.”

The center’s other locations have also seen cuts, with reports of its Chicago and Tulsa, Okla. hospitals both experiencing significant layoffs. The Chicago Tribune reports that the center’s corporate offices in Schaumburg, Ill. and Boca Raton, Fla. have also been affected.

Just two years ago the cancer center was looking to expand both its workforce and its inpatient care capacity. In 2014, 85 percent of the center’s services were being provided on an outpatient basis.