ST. LOUIS – Workers wasted no time tearing down signage Friday at South City Hospital. Patients were transferred to other healthcare facilities, and employees were still coming to grips with the closure.

“I don’t believe it’s closed,” said Dejan, a longtime employee of the hospital. “…I work (there) long time. Lots of good friends here. Everybody leave. I don’t believe.”

The aftermath of the closure brought immediate attention to the hundreds of people who lost jobs.

“And then, of course, trying to take care of the impacted employees and making sure they find other employment opportunities in St. Louis,” Alderman Shane Cohn (Ward 3) said.

On Wednesday, we learned more about how that will happen.

“With a partnership of the mayor’s office as well as the Department of Health, we have put together an emergency job fair that will be Aug. 11, which is this Friday,” Shannon Johnson, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, said.

There will be two sessions on Friday for workers laid off from South City Hospital, Johnson said. The first session runs from 9 a.m. until noon. The second session is from 1 p.m. until 4. Both are happening in the first-floor conference room inside 1520 Market Street downtown.

“Right now, we have about 16 and growing companies in the healthcare field that will be partaking, and some will be hiring on the spot,” Johnson said. “Make sure that you do have your resume ready-to-go, as well as identification.”

Representatives from BJC HealthCare, SSM Health, Mercy, and the VA Hospital will be on hand, as well as other St. Louis area healthcare providers.

“This situation is very devastating to the city of St. Louis. With the partnership of SLATE, as well as the mayor’s office and the Department of Health, we’re doing everything possible to be able to help the community out,” Johnson said.

If you plan on attending the job fair, SLATE recommends creating a profile ahead of time online.

For those who have additional questions, you can contact SLATE by phone at 314-589-8000.