FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 29, 2026
CONTACT: Ashley Berry Johnson / [email protected] / (267) 990-5505
Megan Othersen Gorman / [email protected] / (215) 817-5781
THE PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF STAFF NURSES AND ALLIED PROFESSIONALS, REPRESENTING 200 FRONTLINE RNS AT POTTSTOWN HOSPITAL AND MORE THAN 11,000 FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA, IS DEEPLY CONCERNED BY THE PROPOSAL TO LAY OFF MORE THAN 40% OF THE NURSE WORKFORCE AT POTTSTOWN HOSPITAL
THIS IS THE SECOND SIGNIFICANT LAYOFF IN THE LAST 7 MONTHS
Nurses Are the Backbone of Patient Care, Providing Skilled, Compassionate Care to Pottstown Families. Any Proposal to Eliminate Such a Significant Number of Frontline Caregivers Raises Serious Questions About the Hospital’s Ability to Maintain Safe Staffing Levels and to Continue to Deliver High-Quality Care
PASNAP President Maureen May, RN, and Vice President Peggy Malone, RN, Available For Interview/Comment
VO FOR BROADCAST NO CTSY REQUIRED: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/
POTTSTOWN, PA – Yesterday, Pottstown Hospital owner Tower Health announced a third round of layoffs at Pottstown Hospital, the second within just the last seven months. This is, once again, the wrong decision for the hospital, for the dedicated nursing staff who are losing their jobs, and for the Pottstown patient community, who have relied on the hospital for lifesaving care for well over 100 years.
Tower said in a statement: “These changes are designed to strengthen the hospital’s ability to serve local residents for generations to come by preserving access to the services patients need most…”
In reality, Tower has been balancing its books on the backs of Pottstown families for years—cutting away at the frontline caregivers patients depend on while asking the community to accept less.
“Tower can say whatever they want in a statement, but let’s be honest here: This is a reduction of services that is going to lead to a reduction of care and more difficulty accessing care for this community,” says Lori Domin, RN, a longtime Pottstown Hospital nurse and president of Pottstown Nurses United. “Medical-surgical beds are being cut, the entire orthopedic unit is being closed. There are already patients who are held in the Emergency Department waiting for a bed because there are not enough staff on the floors to care for them. With these cuts, where are those Emergency patients going to go?”
The latest announcement comes days after the announcement of an affiliation agreement between Tower and Jefferson Health. Tower said in a statement that the affiliation with Jefferson is “built on our shared commitment to expanding access to high-quality care close to home and improving the health of the communities we serve.” This layoff does the exact opposite. It’s a decision made based on dollars, not the needs of patients and the community.
“Unfortunately, we at the bedside have seen this story before,” says Maureen May, RN, President of PASNAP – “the step-by-step dismantling of patient services that led to the closure of the once four-hospital Crozer Health system, then Suburban Hospital. Tower may say that their intent is to keep the hospital open, but their actions speak louder than their words.”
“Bottom line: As healthcare providers, we take an oath to ‘Do No Harm’. This series of layoff decisions causes harm – to the community and to those who care for them. There is no getting around that.”
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The Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) represents more than 11,000 frontline nurses and allied professionals across Pennsylvania, including the nurses at Pottstown Hospital. PASNAP was founded 26 years ago to advocate locally and statewide, for patient-centered care. Patients do better when critical care staff have a voice to advocate for their patients and themselves.
