Some members of the Hennepin Healthcare System board are coming out against a plan for the county to take over HCMC and dissolve their current board.
Hennepin Healthcare is facing a $36 million deficit this year and the Hennepin County board, which oversees the healthcare facility, wants to eliminate its governing board to help deal with the crisis.
"We need to shorten the command structure to make sure that there is no delays, there's no hesitancy, on the information that we are going to need to decide how do we set our max property tax levy," Hennepin County Commissioner Jeffrey Lundee says. "How do we talk about the investments that we can and need to make in the hospital."
The Union supports the move, pointing out what they called "mismanagement."
To that claim, Hennepin Healthcare Board Chair Mohamed Omar says the county needs to prove it.
"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," says Omar.
It all shows that emotions are running high at Hennepin Healthcare. Omar says the governing board is voluntary and is made up mainly of people of color. He says that is needed to represent the community it serves.
Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde says eliminating the hospital board will help them more effectivly deal with the crisis.
Omar says he's seen no evidence of mismanagement.
"If there is mismanagement, please bring it to me because I signed those papers. As the board chair, I'm responsible for this hospital," Omar declared Monday.
Lunde said the commissioners are set to meet with the board on Aug. 6, a meeting that has been on the books for months. A final vote on governance of the health system and its $1.6 billion budget is expected Aug. 12.
Hennepin County Medical Center did post a statement to their website later on Monday distancing itself from the back-and-forth between the Hennepin Healthcare Board, and the County Board.
"As we are all aware, Hennepin Healthcare is facing unprecedented financial challenges requiring immediate, difficult decisions. Both our County leadership and our Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) Board of Directors are aware of the urgency of the situation. Today’s news conference was hosted by members of our HHS Board of Directors acting as independent citizens, not by Hennepin Healthcare. We will not be commenting on the resolution itself but as the public conversation about our future continues, we trust that all parties involved have the best interests of our patients at heart. During this time and always, with a commitment to our mission, the skilled, diverse team members at our hospital and clinics are focused on the daily work of delivering excellent patient care."