Downtown State College businesses are raising awareness and support for Mount Nittany Medical Center by placing signs of encouragement in their windows.

The signs, spotted at businesses including Iconic Ink and Snap Pizza, bluntly read “Protect Mount Nittany Medical Center.” The posters were sponsored by the Service Employees International Union, a health care workers union that encompasses more than two million registered members.

The signs are likely a direct response to the health care network’s recent layoffs. Back in June, Mount Nittany announced it’d reduce its staff by 10% to help combat $70 million in expected revenue shortfalls. The cuts would eliminate approximately 250 positions throughout the network.

“While we must adjust, we are doing this without reducing the services the community depends on us to provide,” Mount Nittany Health President and CEO Kathleen Rhine said in June. “The actions we are taking ensure that we can serve the community well today and remain strong to grow into the future.”

The signs could also be aiming to drum up support for local health care networks as Penn State students begin returning to town this week. Earlier this year, Penn State administrators estimated Mount Nittany Medical Center could take in just one coronavirus patient per day without overloading its already limited capacity.

SEIU Healthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the posted signs or Mount Nittany Medical Center’s layoffs.