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| Contact: Tom Hayes 612-873-3337 |
10/21/09 |
The public will have an opportunity to speak out about potential program cuts and service reductions at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) at a public meeting on Oct. 28. The meeting will give the public a chance to provide feedback on a draft of the HCMC Health Services Plan that is updated annually and describes the medical center’s vital role in improving the health status of the community.
General Assistance Medical Care, a state program that pays for the care provided to a significant number of HCMC patients, is scheduled to end in early 2010. The loss of this program, along with other state program reductions, means payments to HCMC in the current biennium will be reduced $73 million.
Two significant workforce reductions in 2009, along with a number of other budget cuts and operational improvement efforts, have resulted in essentially break-even financial results so far in 2009, but the most significant state funding reductions will start in 2010 when the GAMC program ends.
The public meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center, 1527 E Lake St., Suite 100 in Minneapolis.
The draft plan will be available Friday, Oct. 23 online at www.hcmc.org or people can request a copy by calling 612-873-2271. Comments may be submitted online using the "Contact Us" link at HCMC.org, by mail to Mike Harristhal, HCMC P1, 701 Park Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55415, or in person at the Oct. 28 meeting.
Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc. is a subsidiary corporation of Hennepin County, and the Hennepin Healthcare System board of directors provides strategic leadership for the medical center. The Hennepin County Board has final approval of the mission, budget, major capital investments, and the Health Services Plan.
Hennepin County Medical Center is a nationally recognized Level 1 Trauma Center with the largest emergency department in Minnesota. The comprehensive academic medical center and public teaching hospital includes a 471-bed acute care hospital and primary care and specialty clinics located in downtown Minneapolis, and four primary care clinics in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County.
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