Around 170 health department employees got pink slips earlier this month.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Some workers at the Minnesota Department of Health are able to keep their jobs a few weeks longer after a judge issued a temporary restraining order.
Approximately 170 layoff and separation letters were sent to MDH employees earlier this month whose positions were funded by federal grants. The notices came after the federal government stripped MDH of about $220 million in federal grants that were approved during the pandemic. According to state health officials, the federal funds that were cut made up about 25% of MDH’s total budget.
A judge is now reviewing the billions in federal dollars the government cut from state health budgets.
“We are grateful for this action by the court, which we feel aligns with the federal government’s responsibility to us as a grantee,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham in a press release. “This action has given us additional short-term certainty around this funding, which allows us to delay this layoff process slightly. We continue to remain hopeful for a positive long-term outcome in this case that would allow us to mitigate the need to layoff so many smart, dedicated staff who are vital to protecting the health of Minnesotans.”
MDH has moved the effective layoff date to May 13.