Contributing writer Izzy Canizares reports on the legislative deal promising $205 million in state funding for HCMC starting in July, brokered by Gov. Tim Walz after Attorney General Keith Ellison hosted a public forum where residents, health care leaders and community members made the case for why the hospital cannot close.
Hennepin County Medical Center, central to health care for Minnesotans, went from facing closure by the end of the month to securing a promised $205 million in state funding starting in July, according to a legislative deal introduced by Gov. Tim Walz. For the funding to be finalized, the supplemental budget must still pass a legislative vote before the session ends. The agreement was made possible in part by residents who defended HCMC and shared the medical center’s importance in their lives, including during a public forum May 13.
Before a legislative deal was reportedly reached that night, Attorney General Keith Ellison hosted a public forum at University Lutheran Church of Hope to gather public opinion on why saving HCMC was vital and the best way to do so.
HCMC serves many Minnesota residents, with 2025 data showing the medical center has treated nearly 1 in 50 Minnesotans. While 95% of those cases were from the metro area, about 26,800 were from other counties, indicating HCMC’s wide health care reach…