Trinity Health to lay off 557 workers amid push to outsource IT services

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Trinity Health is set to lay off more than 500 workers from its Livonia headquarters as the healthcare system outsources its technology and information services. A total of 557 employees at the Livonia site will be impacted, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the state. The affected job titles are largely IT-related; they include service desk support, database administrator, engineer and imaging analyst. The layoffs are set to take effect between Oct. 25 and Nov. 29, according to the WARN letter. In June, Trinity Health announced plans to move some of its in-house technology and information services to 'a technology partner with deep expertise in modern technology infrastructure and service delivery.' 'The pace and complexity of health care technology are accelerating. Sustaining that pace is increasingly difficult for any single organization on its own,' the health care system said in a release. 'A partner whose core business is technology support gives us access to specialized expertise and innovation at the speed and scale health care now requires while strengthening service reliability.​' Trinity Health said patient-facing roles would not be affected. Rather, the change would impact internal technology support services, like the service desk and applications support. The healthcare system said it was committed to 'supporting colleagues with care and respect, including opportunities for new roles within Trinity Health and the partner organization along with transition support and resources.​' 'We are confident this is the right decision for our organization and the communities we serve. We also know it has a very real impact on our valued colleagues whose roles are affected. That matters deeply to us.' Trinity Health declined to provide any additional statement about the layoffs Tuesday, instead directing News 8 to the June announcement.