Hennepin County Board approves plan to cut jobs at HCMC

The Hennepin County Board unanimously approved a budget Tuesday that officials say will mean job cuts at Hennepin County Medical Center.

It's not clear how many jobs would be lost at the downtown Minneapolis hospital, but officials said they are in the process of figuring that out.

The hospital's CEO, Dr. Jon Pryor said expenses this year outpaced income by $11 million, a problem faced by other safety-net hospitals — facilities that serve many uninsured and low income patients.

Commissioner Jan Callison said she understands the challenges the hospital is facing right now.

"This is a tough budget. This has been a tough year at the hospital," Callison said. "For those of us who serve on the hospital board, who've put in a lot of time, for those at the hospital itself who deal with this every day, it is difficult to come in here with these numbers."

An attendee at the meeting, Peter Zeftel, bluntly told the board: "How many poor people are going to die because they're denied medical care because of cuts to Hennepin County Medical Center?"

After speaking for more than the allotted three minutes, commissioner Callison asked Zeftel to wrap up his remarks. But he persisted.

"Where are the public hearings before we damage the health of a large number of citizens in Hennepin County?" he asked. "Where's the public input?"

Zeftel asked the commissioners to pass a short term budget with no cuts and allow more time for public feedback. The commissioners rejected the idea.

HCMC employs more than 6,800 people currently.

Construction is currently underway on a more than $220 million expansion of the hospital system's facilities in Minneapolis. The new building is expected to open in 2018.