Minnesota lawmakers are one step closer to voting on a bill that would help fund the Hennepin County Medical Center. Leaders of the hospital system, the state's top level one trauma center, say it could close this year if it doesn't get funding help from the state.
The proposal is part of a larger Health and Human services bill that passed its last committee hurdle in the Senate on Thursday. It's now expected to hit the floor next week.
Part of the bill includes giving HCMC $50 million this year and $100 million next year.
There is another bill that was introduced to the legislature a couple weeks ago. That one proposes raising a county sales tax by 1%.
There are fewer than 20 hospitals like HCMC across the country and the future of the health system is tied to the legislative session that ends in less than a month.
Hennepin County Board chair Jeffrey Lunde talked about the urgency of the matter.
"25 days, just in case you think I wasn't keeping track, I am," says Lunde. "And every day becomes more important as I keep reminding everybody, that we have that much time to continue to advocate. And at no point should we ever stop because we owe no one anything but our absolute last fight for this. Because I believe that's what we're in. We're in a good fight."
Hospital and Hennepin County leadership say without this funding, they will likely start making plans to shutter HCMC by this summer.
