We, the undersigned union members of Oregon AFSCME and Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) at Legacy Health, patients, and community members, write to express our strong support for our coworkers in the rehabilitation departments at Emanuel and Good Samaritan Hospitals whose positions are currently threatened by the recently announced reorganization and reduction in force.

Legacy senior leadership recently announced the consolidation of the Emanuel/Good Samaritan Neuro and Cardiopulmonary Outpatient Rehabilitation departments, along with a 60% layoff (up to nine providers) from the Emanuel Orthopedic staff. You may have been reassured that patients would still be taken care of and would receive services as usual at private clinics in the area. Believing that patient care and services will remain unaffected at private clinics would be a significant leadership oversight.

Emanuel Outpatient Rehab sees, on average, 14,580 treatments and 3,200 evaluations per year. Our payer mix reflects that of most Legacy Medical Group clinics, with roughly 61% of patients utilizing CMS services (2024 data). Of the 14 private clinics within a two-mile radius of Emanuel, only one clinic accepts all Oregon Health Plans (OHP), and an additional three clinics accept only some plans. Contrary to leadership’s email claims to “limit disruption to LMG patients,” these cuts would leave our most affected and vulnerable patients facing severely limited rehab access and exorbitant wait times.

At a 60% reduction in outpatient PT/OT services, approximately 1,900 fewer LMG patients and community members will receive evaluations, and 8,700 treatments will need to be absorbed by the remaining for-profit systems. As of October 20, 2025, among the largest remaining competitors that generally accept insurance, the stated wait times for 1:1 care range from 6 weeks to 6 months, and three clinics do not accept Legacy PacificSource, which includes our own employee health coverage.

Even with near-full staffing, Emanuel’s evaluation wait times as of October 9, 2025, were 18 workdays for priority cases, 21 for commercial insurance, and 72 for non-commercial insurance. These numbers will compound dramatically for all patients if the layoffs are allowed to continue.

These proposed cuts are deeply concerning to us not only as coworkers, but as healthcare professionals who see preventative care and healthcare access as foundational to providing high-quality care to our patients.

We stand in solidarity with the impacted employees and reject the notion that this reorganization is necessary or justified without transparent, inclusive, and good faith engagement with those directly delivering care. The affected team members are skilled, dedicated professionals whose work changes lives every day, helping patients regain independence after surgery or injury, prevent falls and hospital admissions and readmissions, return to work, manage chronic conditions, and recover from life-altering events. Their value to this organization is immeasurable.

This decision also threatens the clinical integrity of critical services. Emanuel is recognized as a comprehensive stroke center, yet will no longer offer post-acute stroke rehab services to the greater North and Northeast Portland community. By reducing or eliminating these rehabilitation positions, patients will face longer wait times, fewer therapy options, and in some cases, the complete loss of access to the specialized care necessary for their recovery. This change will have ripple effects to patients, clinical programs, and the reputation of Legacy Health as a provider of comprehensive, high-quality care.
We call on Legacy Health to:

Halt all layoffs and reductions in force until full bargaining with our union has occurred;

Explore alternatives that preserve jobs and maintain continuity of patient care; and

Respect the rights, voices, and expertise of frontline staff in all decision-making processes moving forward.

We formed our unions to ensure we have a say in decisions that affect our livelihoods and our ability to care for patients. This moment reflects exactly why our unity is essential. We are stronger together, and we will not stand by silently while our coworkers’ jobs, and patients’ care, are jeopardized.

In solidarity,

Oregon AFSCME union members
ONA union members