HCMC workers held May Day rally calling to save hospital from possible closure

HCMC workers rally to save hospital

Hennepin Healthcare workers rallied to call for full funding to save the hospital. 

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) employees held a May Day rally to call for a permanent solution to save the hospital from closing, which could happen this summer if no solution is found. 

READ MORE: Minnesota Senate passes $150 million in aid for Hennepin Healthcare

Hospital workers rally to save Hennepin County Medical Center 

Big picture view:

Hospital workers say HCMC is a vital public resource that must be saved as it faces a dire financial crisis.

Workers are calling for a solution to keep HCMC fully funded as it faces closures. Union leaders for hospital workers called out Minnesota lawmakers for still not making a decision on how to fund the hospital. 

Union leaders blame corporate healthcare officials and billionaires for the funding issue at the hospital, calling for them to fund public healthcare. 

Workers are calling for the tax to pay for Target Field to go towards funding the hospital. 

Its status as a safety-net hospital means that patients get treatment and care regardless of their ability to pay for it. However, this uncompensated care means that HCMC has lost money for eight of the past 10 years. 

Changes to Medicare policy have also left the hospital without an infusion of cash, meaning the losses could top $1.7 billion over the next decade.  

The Minnesota Senate just approved $150 million in grant money as lawmakers consider other options to save the cash-strapped hospital. 

Nurses held a "Red Alert" rally on Thursday to press for long-term solutions instead of temporary funding measures. 

What they're saying:

Faith groups held a 24-hour vigil Friday morning to call on elected leaders to find a way to save the hospital.

"We need solution and we need it quick," said Justin Lind-Ayres from Grace University Lutheran Church. "So, there's a proposal to move through there to get an increase of state sales tax here in Hennepin County. We get it. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a solution that we need right now in order to make sure that this facility continues to tend the most vulnerable."

What's next:

Lawmakers now have less than three weeks to figure out a plan, with the legislative session ending May 18.