Cedar Rapids Gazette: More than 200 Mercy Medical Center employees in Cedar Rapids will be placed on furloughs or leave, a decision reflecting the significant financial headwinds the Cedar Rapids hospital and other health systems nationwide face from the COVID-19 pandemic. The personnel decision was part of Mercy Medical officials’ efforts to ensure that the system’s financial strength continues “now and into the future,” according to a statement Friday to The Gazette confirming the staffing changes.