NATCHEZ — Lower than expected patient volumes in the wake of the consolidation of its two Natchez facilities prompted Merit Health Natchez to reduce its workforce earlier this week.

While hospital officials did not release an official count of the affected workers, they said it amounted to 5 percent of the workforce.

The reduction measure was in response to inpatient census numbers, Merit Health Natchez Chief Executive Officer Eric Robinson said.

“Merit Health Natchez routinely reviews our services and staffing levels to provide effective, efficient care and to remain good stewards of our financial resources,” Robinson said. “Like all hospitals, we are affected by the decline in the number of patients who need inpatient care, and we have not experienced the volume we expected when we were planning for the consolidation of our two facilities.”

The changes are not expected to impact care since they are in response to a lower than expected number of patients, he said.

Merit Health Natchez is the result of an effort by its parent company, Community Health Systems (CHS), to combine the formerly competing Natchez hospitals — Natchez Regional Medical Center and Natchez Community Hospital — into a single campus. CHS acquired the Community facility in early 2014 when it absorbed the former owners as part of a merger, and bought the county-owned Regional facility out of bankruptcy later that year.

The two facilities were later rebranded after their inclusion in the statewide Merit Health Network, and officially consolidated into the Regional facility in November after the company invested approximately $25 million in the property, which included extensive renovations and the opening of long-shuttered patient floors.

The hospital is working to help those impacted by the staffing changes with locating new jobs, Robinson said.

“We want to make the transition as smooth as possible for these employees who have been valued members of our team,” he said. “We are connecting them with Natchez WIN Job Center for employment assistance services, and they are eligible to receive severance according to our policy.”

The hospital has previously said 13 jobs were eliminated when the consolidation happened in November. Those included workers in administrative roles, kitchen personnel and environmental services employees.