St. Charles Health System is facing a $9 million budget shortfall, and has had to trim staff and impose a hiring freeze. Spokesperson Lisa Goodman says last week they laid off three workers last week and put the hiring freeze in place. Still, she painted a worrisome fiscal picture. Goodman says "To date, St. Charles Health System is behind budget for the year by about $9 million." The shortfall is mostly due to increases in the number of patients on the Oregon Health Plan who are seeking services and decreases in the reimbursements they receive from the state for treating those patients.