MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - For a Hennepin County Board committee meeting , the chamber was unusually full Tuesday.

Outside, peering through the glass walls, dozens more people stood watching, many holding signs urging commissioners to take over Hennepin Healthcare .

The board is poised to do just that next week.

The threat of shutting down

What we know:

Hennepin Healthcare has lost money for seven of the past eight years.

In June, the hospital’s CEO said the current financial crisis is so dire, there’s a real risk of closing by the end of 2025.

For the county’s safety-net hospital, which treats anyone who comes in regardless of ability to pay, that news hit hard.

"There have been a lot of herculean efforts to address this issue," noted Commissioner Debbie Goettel. "Time is of the

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