HCMC’s interim CEO hoped to make it harder to change hospital’s oversight

The board overseeing HCMC picked as interim CEO a top doctor who worked with hospital leaders last year trying to limit Hennepin County commissioners’ ability to take back control of the health system.

The Hennepin Healthcare System board voted unanimously Thursday to make Dr. Thomas Klemond the temporary replacement for departing CEO Jennifer DeCubellis. Klemond is currently president of the medical staff, sits on the 15-member board of directors and will become interim CEO on April 11.

Last year, Klemond was part of a group of employees that spoke out against hospital union leaders’ demand that the Hennepin County Board take back control of HCMC. Union members were frustrated with DeCubellis’ leadership, changes to their benefits and working conditions at the state’s largest safety-net hospital.

The conflict led to a last-minute proposal at the Legislature to make it harder for the County Board to dissolve Hennepin Healthcare, which was created in 2006 to run the hospital’s day-to-day operations.

In a letter to lawmakers last May, Klemond said it was important to shield the hospital from “political pressures and attacks.”

The bill never became law, but commissioners admonished hospital leaders for distracting lawmakers from the county’s goal of securing an ongoing source of sales tax revenue for health care needs.

The County Board never officially debated the request to take back control of HCMC.

DeCubellis announced March 26 that she would step down May 10 after five years leading the hospital. In a statement, DeCubellis said it was time to “pass the baton” to a new leader.

Klemond has been with Hennepin Healthcare since 2017 and has led the medical staff since 2022. He previously had a leadership role at Park Nicollet/HealthPartners, where he chaired the department of palliative medicine and community care.

“It’s a privilege to see our Hennepin Healthcare team’s deep commitment to our community firsthand and to play my own role in advancing that mission through patient care,” Klemond said in a statement.

Mohamed Omar, chair of the Hennepin Healthcare board, said in a statement that Klemond was the “right leader for the challenges ahead. We appreciate his deep commitment to excellent patient care and his connection to our mission.”

DeCubellis’ departure is the latest in a string of leadership changes over the past 18 months amid tension with county officials.

Two members of the Hennepin Healthcare board resigned in December 2023 after county leaders temporarily instituted stricter oversight of the health system in reaction to a budget deficit and complaints from hospital union members.

Babette Apland stepped down as chair of the hospital board in September 2024 after commissioners said she made racially insensitive comments about a growing number of Somali patients without health insurance. Apland said she meant no offense and only wanted to highlight the organization’s complicated financial challenges.

Labor leaders urged hospital officials to include them in the national search for the next permanent CEO. In a statement, the Minnesota Nurses Association said DeCubellis’ “departure is long overdue, [and] the need for strong, collaborative leadership has never been greater.”