Hennepin County board votes to take over Hennepin Healthcare

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted on Tuesday to take control of the Hennepin County Medical Center's overseeing body amid a financial crisis for the healthcare center.

Financial woes for HCMC

The backstory:

The Hennepin County Medical Center has lost money for seven of the past eight years. Last June, officials warned that, due to financial issues, the hospital was at risk of closing by the end of 2025.

HCMC operates as an independent subsidiary of Hennepin County, functions under Hennepin Healthcare Systems, and acts as the county's "safety-net" hospital.

Last week, a county commission committee voted unanimously to dissolve Hennepin Healthcare's current board.

During the meeting on Tuesday, the full Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the county takeover of Hennepin Healthcare.

County board approves takeover

What they're saying:

At the meeting, commissioners stressed the importance of HCMC and the fact that change is clearly needed.

"What has happened is the hospital is in a very bad financial state," said Commissioner Heather Edelson. "And we're in a situation now that the relationship cannot be repaired quickly enough to save the hospital."

"I know we are endeavoring to do the best we can," added Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde. "We are not going to let this hospital fail." 

Debate over timeline

Dig deeper:

During Tuesday's meeting, commissioners debated setting a timeline for the takeover. Commissioner Edelson argued that the board had an obligation to clarify what "interim" means for the county.

"I support the idea of doing this temporarily," said Edelson. "The problem I have is… under our resolution, it says ‘interim.’ The first ‘be it resolved’ clause says interim. And I don't know what that means. At the legislature, if we didn't know what that meant, we'd ask for a definition. What does interim mean? What is the intent of our board when we say interim? Is it a year? Is it two years?"

The other side:

Commissioner Angela Conley argued against a timeline, saying immediate action was needed to save the hospital. "We don't have time to wait on this… This is not about the corporate board, right now this is about stabilizing our only safety-net, trauma one center. Our only hospital, HCMC, in the region needs to be stabilized immediately."

Conley also points out the proposal directs the county administrator to develop transition plans and a transition team, allowing them to set an appropriate timeline.

Other members expressed concerns about setting a timeline when there are unknowns lingering, like the impact of federal cuts.

Edelson's amendment was rejected, as was a follow-up amendment.

What's next:

Commissioners did, however, approve another amendment to require the county administrator to develop a report on steps taken to repair the hospital's financial standing and a path forward by next July.

The board was also slated to discuss further actions related to Hennepin Healthcare at a closed special board meeting following the conclusion of Tuesday's normal meeting.