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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Hennepin Healthcare, the overseeing body of the Hennepin County Medical Center, announced on Monday it will close or reduce five programs and cut 100 workers as it works to traverse a financial crisis.
Hennepin Healthcare cuts
What we know:
The county-run medical center announced the cuts on Monday during a news conference. Hennepin Healthcare officials say they will either close or merge with other services. Hennepin Healthcare explains:
- Senior and extended care: Older adult patients will be seen in primary care and nursing home services will be transitioned to other systems.
- Chiropractic and acupuncture services will close and patients will be referred to external providers.
- Sleep services clinic will close but screening tests will continue through primary care.
- Interventional pain: Medical treatments will move to primary care and other interventional services will be referred to external providers.
- Weight management: The standalone clinic will go away and medical and surgical services will be reduced and integrated into the Clinic and Specialty Center.
By the numbers:
Hennepin Healthcare say they notified the approximately 100 workers that will be affected by the cuts on Monday.
What they’re saying:
Speaking on Monday, Co-Administrator of Hennepin Healthcare Dr. J. Kevin Croston warned that “the county health system is actually in real jeopardy this time.”
“Federal support has gone down across the county and across the health system,” Dr. Croston explained. “A number of other factors are there and, historically, Hennepin County backstopped Hennipin County Medical Center, or Hennupin Health Systems as it’s called now. And that capability is less so now than it used to be for all the reasons you’d expect. The county is also losing federal funding and has had to look at its own books to try to figure out where to go with this. So. It’s kind of the perfect storm. The timing’s hitting all of us at the same time.”
At the same time, Dr. Croston says officials do see a path forward but says “it’s going to take some work.”
Hennepin County took over Hennepin Healthcare
The backstory:
Back in August, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to take back control of Hennepin Healthcare due to the financial crisis.
Board members argued the takeover was necessary to save the hospital from financial failure.
As part of the takeover, the hospital tasked the county administrator with developing a report to determine the next steps forward to repair the hospital’s financial standing. That report is due to be presented to board members by July.
The Source: This story uses information provided by Hennepin Healthcare during a Monday news conference.