Job Fair Held at Walla Walla General Hospital

July 10, 2017:    Walla Walla General Hospital held a job fair for employees on July 6. The job fair came mere days before the hospital’s July 24 closure date.

The job fair was coordinated by Adventist Health. It was attended by hundreds of employees due to lose their jobs this month.

Local newspaper the Union-Bulletin quoted Judy Leach, vice president for strategy activation and communication for the Adventist Health Pacific Northwest Region as saying that “a large number of employment opportunities” come from the event.

Leach also shared that career transition support services were being offered to all staff at the hospital. She said that skills like interviewing techniques and resume writing were being taught.

She also said that many physicians at Walla Walla General were working to find work with other local facilities like Providence St. Mary Medical Center in order to stay in the area.

Plans announced in April to transfer the control of Walla Walla General from parent system Adventist Health to Providence Health & Services were halted in June.

Adventist Health announced that the hospital would instead be closed.

In addition to the shuttering of the hospital, Adventist Health Home Care Services and Adventist Health Medical Group will close.

Regulatory hurdles threatened to delay the intended transfer of control or make it impossible. This led to the closure decision.