Hennepin County board members have voted in favor of taking over operations at Hennepin Healthcare as the hospital facility is facing dire financial trouble.
The move means that the hospital's "governing board" would be dissolved as the County steps in to address the situation.
"As I look at this and I'm in support of this, I'm gonna ask our task force to make sure that we have a community board that has eyes on this, that has a voice at this," says Council Vice Chair Debbie Goettell.
Hennepin County Medical Center, the county's safety net facility, has seen an operating loss for seven of the past eight years and has put in risk of closure this year. They are currently facing a $36 million deficit.
"HHS faces a real risk of financial failure, which would have a devastating impact on healthcare access for Hennepin County residents, and regional and statewide health systems," says Goettell.
Member's of the hospital's governing board have fought the proposal saying the financial trouble comes from rising costs and decreasing income from insurance providers, but it is not from any mismanagement by the current leadership.
"We have a financial problem. We do not have a governance problem. If the county thinks we have a governance problem, let them come out and say so," Hennepin Healthcare Board Chair Mohamed Omar said last week.