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Health board questions manner in which state employees were notified of layoffs

198 people notified that they were being laid off

Health board questions manner in which state employees were notified of layoffs

198 people notified that they were being laid off

WEBVTT BRET: THAT WAS DISCUSSED TODAYDURING THE BOARD MEETING.IT EARLIER TODAY THE BOARD WENTBEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO FIRESOMEONE ELSE, ONE OF THEIREXECUTIVES.198 PEOPLE HAVE TO FIND A NEWPLACE TO WORK.>> IT IS NOT A REFLECTION ONTHEIR WORK.IT W NECESSARY TO POSITION ASPART OF THE PUZZLING THE AGENCY.BRET: THERE ARE HUNDREDS OFNAMES ON THE LIST.ON THE COVER SHEET IT SAYS DUETO FINANCIAL PRACTICES THATINCLUDED YEARS OF OVEREXPENDITURES AND FINANCIALMISMANAGEMENT, WE MUST TAKE ANUMBER OF STEPS TO MEET ITSFINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS.>> I DID NOT KNOW THAT I WASTHE WAY IT HAD TO OCCUR, BUT ITIS THE WAY.YOU HAVE TO POST THA WOULDDETAILED INFORMATION, AND IWOULD SUGGEST TO ANYO THAT ITIS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BEHANDLED.BRET INTERIM COMMISSIONERPRESTO SAID STATE LAW REQUIRESTHEM TO POST THE LAYOFFS IN THISREGARD, BUT SAID HE WOULD LIKETO HANDLE THIS DIFFERENTLY ANDEVER COMES UP AGAIN.WHILE THERE ARE NO PLANS IN THEFUTURE TO LAY OFF ANYMOREWORKERS, THEY DEFINITELY LEFT
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Health board questions manner in which state employees were notified of layoffs

198 people notified that they were being laid off

The state Health Board went behind closed doors for more than two hours Tuesday to discuss alleged financial mismanagement at the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the jobs lost because of it.The meeting comes after 198 people were notified that they will have to start looking for a new job.Layoff notices were posted at elevators inside the State Department of Health. The notices listed hundreds of names. A cover sheet, which was dated Dec. 11, said the layoffs are “due to financial practices that included years of over-expenditures and financial mismanagement. OSDH must take a number of steps to meet its financial obligations.”Doerflinger said state law requires the department to post the layoffs in this manner. He also said he’d like to handle something like this differently if it happens again.“To be honest with you, I did not know that’s the way it had to occur, but it is the way you have to post that with detailed information,” he said. “I would suggest to anyone that’s not the way it should be handled.”The board fired Jay Holland, the director of accountability systems, after Tuesday’s closed-door meeting.Doerflinger said that while there’s no plans at the moment to lay off or fire anyone else, it’s certainly possible that could happen once again in the near future.

The state Health Board went behind closed doors for more than two hours Tuesday to discuss alleged financial mismanagement at the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the jobs lost because of it.

The meeting comes after 198 people were notified that they will have to start looking for a new job.

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Layoff notices were posted at elevators inside the State Department of Health. The notices listed hundreds of names. A cover sheet, which was dated Dec. 11, said the layoffs are “due to financial practices that included years of over-expenditures and financial mismanagement. OSDH must take a number of steps to meet its financial obligations.”

Doerflinger said state law requires the department to post the layoffs in this manner. He also said he’d like to handle something like this differently if it happens again.

“To be honest with you, I did not know that’s the way it had to occur, but it is the way you have to post that with detailed information,” he said. “I would suggest to anyone that’s not the way it should be handled.”

The board fired Jay Holland, the director of accountability systems, after Tuesday’s closed-door meeting.

Doerflinger said that while there’s no plans at the moment to lay off or fire anyone else, it’s certainly possible that could happen once again in the near future.