About 350 people were laid off last week from Centura Health’s locations in Colorado and western Kansas, though the system is still trying to hire nurses and others who directly care for patients.

The layoffs affect 1% of the system’s employees in Colorado and western Kansas, Centura said in a statement. Some of those workers would be able to transition to other positions within the system, the company said, and the others would receive severance pay and help finding new jobs.

Most of the people who were laid off didn’t work directly with patients, and hospitals are still recruiting nurses and aides to provide direct care, the statement said.

Centura owns 16 hospitals in Colorado and three in western Kansas, as well as outpatient clinics.

In its statement, the health system said inflation and the possibility of a recession were factors in the decision, and that patients still aren’t seeking care at pre-pandemic levels.

“In short, volumes are down and expenses are up,” the statement said.

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