Obici Hospital tightened its financial belt another notch this week and downsized its marketing department, Bland Burkhardt, the interim chief executive officer confirmed on Wednesday.

&uot;This is regrettable,&uot; said Burkhardt. &uot;But this is in an effort to be more cost effective and put more emphasis on our clinical services and various clinical individuals.&uot;

Two positions have been eliminated, Burkhardt said, adding that the hospital will continue to analyze ways to streamline its expenses without additional staff cuts.

&uot;We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to control our costs without additional downsizing,&uot; explained Burkhardt. &uot;The amount depends on our ability to control costs in the future. There are no real plans for any substantial lay-offs. It is still under review. It almost always is as you look at reimbursements from providers, Medicare, and our cost structure.&uot;

Just days before former Obici CEO William Giermack suddenly announced his resignation in September, he publicly acknowledged that the hospital had been cash strapped following the construction of the new facility almost three years ago.

Burkhardt said the hospital’s financial picture is looking more favorable.

&uot;We are improving,&uot; he said. &uot;We had a good October and we are looking forward to a stronger year this year than last year. But we have to make sure that we are controlling our cost and maintaining quality. We have a great staff that I’m real proud of. We plan to be a strong community-based hospital.

&uot;There are some things that we have to do to make sure we’re watching the budget, but we’re back on track and will stay on track. It’s difficult to go through this even if it’s just two people. Cost control is necessary. We are one of the many hospitals that have to look at all of our costs.&uot;

Three staff members remain in Obici’s marketing department.

luefras.robinson@suffolknewsherald.com