"We were not anticipating the sorts of financial hardships being described here," Owen told the newspaper. "It would be premature to make statements about what we are going to do, but it will involve very deliberate, very careful planning about what approaches are needed to mitigate this."
The 519-bed state-run hospital has more than 3,000 employees. Owen said he will conduct an assessment, but that layoffs would be an "absolute last resort."
While the hospital is state's the largest provider of charity care, Owen said it doesn't receive enough compensation. University Hospital provided $110 million in charity care last year; it was reimbursed $89.3 million in state money, he said.
