April 11, 2024
Concerns have been raised over the governance of Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS), also known as Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), regarding the current Hennepin Healthcare System board’s investment in nursing salaries and benefits. The medical staff at Hennepin Healthcare System has strongly opposed the allegation.
The story first appeared in an April 2 Star Tribune story in which the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) called for the disbanding of the Hennepin Healthcare System board and for the Hennepin County Board to take over control of HCMC.
Following that story, the physician leaders at HCMC sent a letter to the Hennepin County Board and to media outlets. In the letter signed by all the department heads, they said, “We are alarmed over false representations of our health system which are leading to a call for dissolution of our HHS Governing Board and removal of our CEO. These public outcries and potential actions will threaten the mission and survival of Hennepin Healthcare as a premier academic Level 1 Trauma and safety net.”
The issue has made its way to the Legislature where MNA is pursing legislation to require the Hennepin County board to approve the HCMC budget by a majority vote. It is unclear whether this bill will pass, or what the outcome of that change will have on the functioning of the Hennepin Healthcare System board.
May 15, 2025
The House passed its version of the Health and Human Services (HHS) omnibus budget bill on May 12, and the Senate passed its version two days later. The bills differed greatly but both bodies were able to come to an agreement on May 15.
May 15, 2025
Legislative leaders from both bodies have been meeting regularly with Gov. Tim Walz to reach an overall agreement on the size of the state budget for the next two-year period. On May 15, Walz and legislative leaders held a press conference to announce they have reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the next biennium.
May 15, 2025
Registration is now open for the 2025-2026 cohort of the MMA’s Minnesota Physician Leadership Institute (MNPLI).