With a billion in Medicaid cuts, Hennepin Healthcare, a hospital that serves people with or without insurance, will likely close if state lawmakers don’t act.
The two top executives have resigned. The newest leader of the hospital sat down for his first interview in his new job to talk about his strategy and his hope.
Dr. John Cumming, the current CEO, says he had to act.
“I said I can’t stand by and just watch, I feel like I have a tremendous amount to bring to this organization at this critical period, I am raising my hand,” Cumming said.
In his first interview, the new CEO says this is personal.
“Oh it’s pretty simple, we have a phrase with some of the people who work here, you call them a Hennepinite. I did all my training here, I was a trauma surgeon here, I was an ICU doctor, I was president of the medical staff,” he said.
He was also a patient after having a heart attack and getting his hips replaced.
“This is the place you want to be when these things happen, that’s for sure, and it’s happened to me,” Cumming said.
Cumming was interim CEO back in 2019. Since then, he’s been teaching MBA students at the University of St. Thomas. He’s now learning the intricacies of his troubled alma mater.
“My focus is really on the people that work here. There’s a lot of anxiety within the organization about what’s going on, what’s going to happen, what’s going to happen to not only the organization, but to them as well,” Cumming said. “I’m gonna be really visible, transparent and really reassure people we are gonna get through this. If we lose the heart of your number one resource, we are in real trouble.”
Cumming says he actually has a lot of hope.
“I feel strongly that there is a path forward and at the end of the day, this resource can’t be allowed to fail,” he said.
Cumming says he will let the lawmakers figure out the funding as he focuses on staff and patients. He says his biggest hope is that there is some bipartisan support to pass a bill.
Wednesday morning at 8:15 a.m., the Senate Tax Committee will listen to patients and staff make a plea to save the hospital.
