Published: November 06, 2008 02:40 pm      

Valley View hosts job fair for laid off employees

ADA — A job fair for Valley view Regional Hospital workers affected by the recent hospital layoffs is set for this Friday, Nov. 7. The job fair was organized by Valley View.

“These are good, productive employees who were affected by the layoff,” Valley View President and CEO Ron Webb said. “It is right for us to be of as much help as possible, as quickly as possible.”

The job fair runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Pontotoc Technology center in Ada. Representatives from the Chickasaw Nation, Pre-Paid Legal, IRT, Rolling Hills Hospital, the Medical Center of Southeast Oklahoma, Muskogee Community Hospital and Unity Health Center of Shawnee will be on hand to conduct interviews and assessments.

“It is not very often you see an employer go above and beyond the normal in layoff situations,” Southern Workforce Board Director Kerry Manning said. “Valley View took the initiative to set up this job fair for the former Valley View employees. We usually have one job fair annually in Ada. This is a special ‘mini-fair’ just for the Valley View people.”

The Southern Workforce Board is a federally-funded state entity that serves a 10-county area that includes Ada, Ardmore and Durant.

Through the federal Workforce Investment Act, funds are available to qualified dislocated workers who require a new career or enhanced skill set. The Southern Workforce Board will have a representative present to discuss the program and how former Valley View employees can retrain or upgrade skills.

The Oklahoma State Rapid Response Team, including representatives of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and other state programs, will be on hand to offer information on unemployment benefits and other dislocated worker programs.

Former employees will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from each of the hiring businesses, organizations and hospitals.

The Valley View job fair will be in room 410A in the west wing of the technology center. For more information, phone the Valley View human resources office, 332-2323, or Jayma Warren at Pontotoc Technology Center, 310-2253.

The hospital layoffs, announced last Friday, affected 91 employees. Hospital officials blame slowing Medicare and insurance reimbursements as well as a slowing economy forced the hospital to cut staff.