DENVER — About 200 Kaiser Permanente Colorado employees were laid off Friday, the healthcare company confirmed.

Amy Whited, a Kaiser spokesperson, said “non-patient facing” workers were impacted.

Whited sent the following statement to FOX31 and Channel 2:

“Like any business, Kaiser Permanente Colorado regularly evaluates how we operate and we make necessary adjustments to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging market. As we have previously shared, we are making operational improvements to ensure we are meeting and exceeding our members’ expectations for quality, service and affordability. An important part of this effort is having the right people in the right jobs to best serve our members. To achieve this goal, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce some staff positions. The reductions will primarily address redundancies in administrative and non-patient facing areas and will not impact the high quality of care and service we provide our members.

We value all of our employees and their service to our organization and we never take decisions like this lightly. We are committed to providing tools and assistance like outplacement services to employees who are affected by these changes, to help them find other employment, as well as severance payments and other benefits.

With a nearly 50-year track record as Colorado’s largest nonprofit health plan, Kaiser Permanente looks forward to serving the people of Colorado for many years to come.”