Hennepin County is still accepting applications for the new Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) Board of Directors, the board that will govern the hospital in alignment with its public mission, vision, and values.
HHS is Minnesota’s last public safety net health system, and thanks to the people of Minnesota, HCMC Remains Open!
HHS is a subsidiary of Hennepin County Government and was formed about 20 years ago. HHS is still affectionately called HCMC (Hennepin County Medical Center) because it functioned as a department of the County previously.
During a public meeting in June 2025, HHS management announced the risk of closure by December 2025. Since Hennepin County Government is the parent organization, the County Board voted to serve as the HHS Board on an interim basis — for the expressed purpose of keeping the hospital open for the patients, families, workers, and communities. Had that vote not occurred, HCMC would likely have closed abruptly, as other hospitals across the country have.
HCMC is stabilized thanks to bipartisan action from the Minnesota Legislature and Governor. Within the financial package, the County Board must re-establish the HCMC Board by January 15, 2027 — which means interviews in the coming weeks, and selection in the coming months.
Learn more about who we’re looking to fill board positions and how to apply below.
A Promise Kept
When I announced my vote in August 2025, I said the County Board would only serve as the HHS Board temporarily, to stabilize the hospital and protect its future. The Legislature has since set the deadline in law, and we are on track to meet it.
The new board will guide HHS from financial stabilization into long-term strategy. It will oversee finances, quality, and patient safety, select and evaluate the CEO, and make recommendations to the County Board, including on the budget.
In May, I wrote that HCMC’s doors remain open as a public institution, accountable to the public it serves, and that we must make sure they stay that way. Having the people on the hospital board who align with HHS’ vision of “Exceptional care for every patient,” is essential to the hospital’s success.
The New HHS Board and Who Should Apply
HCMC does not discriminate against anyone that walks through its doors. Whether or not you have insurance, or how you arrive to us, HCMC will take care of you. Those who govern our hospital should share those values.
Under state law, the HHS Board has between 11 and 15 directors — two of them must be sitting County Commissioners; and at least 75% of the non-commissioner directors must bring expertise in areas such as hospital administration, finance, business management, law, health equity, or other relevant experience.
We are building a board with a range of professional expertise:
Hospital and health system leadership
Finance, audit, and payer strategy
Business management, government, and executive leadership
Law, regulation, compliance, and enterprise risk
Health equity, public health, and policy
Labor and union relations
Health technology, data, and innovation
Academic medicine and national-level expertise
Facilities, operations, and social services
However, expertise alone will not make a complete board. We also need people with deep ties to the communities HCMC serves, people with relationships across Minnesota, leaders in community health and nonprofits, and patients. If you or your family have received care at HCMC, your experience belongs in that boardroom. No one candidate is expected to bring every qualification.
Above all, we need people who:
believe access to health services is a human right, not a privilege;
will ask hard questions and insist on timely, complete financial information;
will support hospital leadership without becoming passive, and challenge it without trying to run day-to-day operations;
respect and invest in HCMC’s 7,000+ workers; and
understand that HCMC belongs to the public.
I remain grateful to every HHS Board member who has volunteered their time and expertise since 2007. These are volunteer roles, and they ask a great deal of members.
How to Apply
Apply through kpCompanies at kpcompanies.com/careers. The full position description is on the County’s HHS Board page.
Know someone who should serve? Nominations and referrals are welcome. Share the person’s name, contact information, and a short note on the expertise or community perspective they would bring.
What to expect: The board has historically met at least six times a year, plus an annual public meeting. Initial terms will be staggered. Board service has historically been unpaid, and approved expenses may be reimbursed. Current HHS employees cannot serve as voting directors. This is a public appointment, and application materials may be subject to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
We all have an HCMC story. Maybe you were born there. Maybe your cousin received life-saving care there. HCMC has been there for all of us. We need you to be a part of HCMC’s future, I hope you will apply to serve or tell someone who should.