The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will eliminate 124* additional jobs, through attrition rather than layoffs, the academic hospital’s chief financial officer said Friday as officials continue to grapple with a budget deficit.
UAMS in January announced it was cutting 600 positions, including 258 that were filled, as a way to cut a looming $72.3 million deficit, nearly twice the $39.8 million that had been authorized. The newly announced position cuts will bring total losses to 730, or about 6.6 percent of UAMS’ 10,900 employees.
Bill Bowes, UAMS’ senior vice chancellor for finance and administration, announced additional short- and long-term spending reductions, including the end of a $45 million plan to address maintenance issues and an ongoing review of employee benefits. The budget deficit is now forecasted to end the fiscal year no worse than $39 million, Bowes said.
*CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said UAMS would eliminate 130 additional jobs. Six of the jobs counted in that total were eliminated before Jan. 8.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.