Can HCMC survive? Can twin cities survive without it?

Three people arrived at the HCMC in downtown Minneapolis on a recent Friday at the same time and for the same reason: they could not find the health care they needed elsewhere.

Audrey Gohre’s feet were mutilated by a boat propeller in Lake Waconia. Skyler Seidel burned 40% of his skin when he stumbled with a pot of boiling oil in Sturgis, SD Susan Linnell had the dental problems of a 57-year-old woman, but the mental capacity of a toddler.

“She cannot cooperate,” said her mother, Carol Linnell. “I’m worried about biting dentists.”

The specialized care of the three patients last month highlights what is at stake while the county of Hennepin goes up direct control of the hospital supported by taxpayers and its parents’ health care system, Hennepin Healthcare.

Without increasing funding or cutting, the county cannot afford HCMC and its worsening of financial problems. Nor can he afford to lose the Urban Medical Center and its unrivaled expertise in areas such as Wound and Burn Care.

“These types of services are what the State expects HCMC to offer,” said Jeffery Lunde, a member of the county board of directors who argued for the change of governance.

Formerly known as Hennepin County Medical Center, HCMC is known nationally to treat traumatic injuries and form the next generation of American emergency room doctors. Its emergency service is the most busy state, dealing with 92,000 patients each year. Locally, the hospital is known as a safety net for patients who cannot afford their care; It ranks 12th in Minnesota for total patient admissions, but second for unhealthy patients.

Lately, HCMC is known for something else: losing money.