A hospital is ensuring all healthcare jobs in Boston are legal and that each candidate is properly vetted.

A Massachusetts medical center has become the country’s first health care facility to sign an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) to strengthen hiring practices and to combat the unlawful employment of illegal aliens.

Saints Medical Center President and CEO Stephen Guimond and the Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations ( HSI ) in Boston, Bruce M. Foucart, signed the IMAGE or “ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers,” agreement during a ceremony at the health care center in Lowell, Mass.
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Massachusetts companies are warning that medical-device jobs in Boston will be cut in the wake of the federal healthcare reform’s new 2.3 percent sales tax on their products.

This is according to a new survey from the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council.

According to BostonHerald.com, the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council, which is holding its annual meeting in Boston, said the medical-device tax has become the top issue among firms making products for the medical sector.

The council’s statement didn’t mention what percentage of the council’s members plan to cut jobs after the tax is implemented in 2013.

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In a time of economic uncertainty, some workers with Boston healthcare jobs have received good news.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center had originally announced its plan to cut 600 jobs, but has now decided to reduce that number to 150 jobs. According to an article by the Boston Globe, the hospital was able to reduce the number of layoffs through wage freezes, salary cuts in high administrative jobs and benefit reductions.

“This is a major victory and will mean a lot to more than 450 families who would otherwise lose their income,” Chief Executive Paul Levy said in the article. “We will do this at the same time we provide earnings protection to our 900 lowest-wage workers.”

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A new learning facility will help those with Boston healthcare jobs further their careers.

The Healthcare Training Institute, located in The Community Training Center, four community classrooms in the Longwood Medical Area, recently opened in a medical research and office space owned by BioMed Realty Trust. Under a joint agreement, the classroom space was furnished by Berry Construction.

The facility will use major healthcare employers in the area, two community colleges and community-based organizations to provide more than 500 employees and residents each year with services, including workplace education, college transition, student support/coaching, pre-employment and career advancement.

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Some positions will always need to be filled, and those dealing with health care are no exception. Particularly, Boston health care jobs are on the rise, and aren’t expected to slow down anytime soon.

According to city-data.com, Boston has more than 500 doctors per 100,000 people, and there are more than 20 inpatient hospitals located within the city.

The Longwood Medical Area is a region of Boston that houses several medical and research facilities, including: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

The Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Spaulding Rehabilitation Center are located near Beacon Hill. There also are many cardiac rehabilitation centers and hospices, and VA centers are located in the Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury areas.

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