Laser Spine Institute
Laser Spine Institute, whose ads are constant on cable television, has abruptly closed all of their locations, employees said in various Facebook posts. A former customer care representative at the company wrote in a post, “F*** Laser Spine Institute spine institute and f*** everyone who knew we were getting fired and didn’t say s***.” One commenter, also a former employee, said, “Only board members knew. Many directors didn’t even know.” Another employee said in a separate posting that the institute will operate a skeleton staff for two weeks.
If you are a Laser Spine Insitute patient who is in need of care, the Comprehensive Spine Institute is asking those affected to contact their office.
The Company Was ‘Unable to Achieve a Financially Sustainable Path Forward’
Heavy.com contacted the number listed on the company’s website. A call center operated said that he knew nothing about the layoffs but said that the center was operated by a third party company. On that website, the institute says that they have helped more than 75,000 patients with minimally invasive spinal surgery. A statement on the closure said that the company had tried multiple cost-saving activities overs the past six months but that “the company has been unable to achieve a financially sustainable path forward.”
Around 500 People Have Lost Their Jobs
The news that the institute was to close was first broken by ABC Tampa’s Vicky Benchimol who tweeted, “Breaking: Laser Spine Institute has apparently closed abruptly. 500 employees in Tampa, Cincinnati and Scottsdale and ST Louis were all told today.” Company PR director Doug Tobin confirmed the layoff to WFTS. The station says they spoke to someone who had come to the Tampa institute for surgery, traveling from Oklahoma but was denied service.
The Company’s CEO Paid Tribute to Those Who Had Tried to Keep the Institute Going
The company’s Twitter account was active, with no mention of the layoffs, as of one hour prior to the publication of this article.
Later, CEO Jake Brace said in a statement, “My heart goes out to our great, dedicated staff who have stuck with us through all of our adversity and worked so tirelessly to help us right the ship. We celebrate their efforts to keep the company going, as well as their great track record of providing nearly 100,000 surgical procedures, thereby helping patirents afflicted with chronic neck and back problems and effectively regain their prior lives.”
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