Overview
- Nurses, doctors and paramedics urged state lawmakers to act at a Minneapolis news conference, warning other emergency rooms would face longer waits if HCMC closed.
- Hospital leaders said the board would draft a closure plan if lawmakers do not pass a fix this session, and Hennepin County Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde warned closure could come as soon as June.
- The system is pursuing deep cuts, including a $200 million savings goal through 2026 and the elimination of 100 beds and five departments, but says those steps will not close its yearly shortfall.
- Officials expect a bill next week to let Hennepin County repurpose and expand a sales tax now paying Target Field bonds to create a steady local funding stream, and the tied House will require bipartisan votes.
- HCMC is the state’s first and busiest level-one trauma center, reported $90 million in uncompensated care in 2024, and says 40% of recent trauma and specialty patients lived outside the county.