The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said it will make its rapid response services available to the nearly 1,000 Hawaii Medical Center employees who will lose their jobs when the company closes its two hospitals on Oahu in the coming weeks.

The DLIR will hold a total of 12 sessions daily tomorrow and Thursday at the HMC locations in Liliha and Ewa to provide information on applying for unemployment benefits, health insurance options, workforce training programs and other services.

HMC employees will be advised to file their unemployment insurance claims online, and to wait until they are officially separated from employment before submitting the claims, DLIR officials said.

“Our hearts go out to the nearly thousand employees and their families who received this news during the holiday season,” said Dwight Takamine, DLIR director. “We hope the rapid response will help alleviate the uncertainty for employees and their families in this difficult time.”