MARTINS FERRY — East Ohio Regional Hospital will lay off “ancillary services” beginning today, according to an email sent to staff by the hospital’s CEO.

EORH CEO Dr. John Johnson sent out an all-staff email Thursday spelling out next steps for the hospital, which has yet to disburse paychecks that employees were supposed to receive last Friday.

Johnson said that, effective today, the hospital will be laying off “ancillary services” in an effort to prioritize payroll disbursement. According to Johnson’s email to staff, the emergency department and limited necessary staff, like lab technicians in the ER, are to continue work. Elective operations will remain on hold. Outpatient services will be determined on a “case by case” basis.

Additionally, current patients with active treatment plans will be completed while physician practice patients will be notified and have access to their provider for the next 30 days, according to the email.

The email goes on to say that employees’ managers will be in touch to determine a plan based on their role and the needs of their patients.

“Closing any of the operations was never my vision, it is with deep sadness that circumstances have restricted the ability to continue as originally planned,” Johnson’s email read.

The email included a link to apply for unemployment. Current employees confirmed to The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register that the email was sent out to all current staff with access to their emails.

Johnson again signed the email as both CEO and Chief Operating Officer. Julie Ross has served as the hospital’s COO, and there has been no formal announcement as to whether that has changed.

Lack of paychecks spurred some employees to gather outside of the hospital Wednesday to protest not being paid and the lack of communication from hospital leadership.

After paychecks were not disbursed last Friday, Johnson assured employees via email that he was working to get them paid by this past Tuesday. Yet when Tuesday came, he sent out another email update saying he had been “unsuccessful” in meeting that deadline.

Hospital leadership did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday evening.