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Hennepin Healthcare board appoints first Somali American chair
Mohamed Omar is the new Hennepin Healthcare Board of Directors chair.
MINNEAPOLIS — Mohamed Omar says he sees himself in many of Hennepin Healthcare’s patients, most of which are people of color.
Less than a week ago, Hennepin Healthcare’s board appointed Omar to be its new leader.
He is also the first Somali American hospital board chair in the state. And while Omar says he certainly feels proud and honored, there’s part of him that has some mixed feelings.
“I also recognize that being a first comes with its own challenges, because you would have liked to the focus to be on you because you’ve done something, not because you’re the first,” he said.
He said after he was elected Wednesday, Oct. 23, his mind went to rearranging the agenda and reviewing goals. His family reminded him that his appointment was a milestone for not just him, but his entire community.
“I was able to then step back and see it from their eyes and through their eyes,” said Omar.
Omar comes from a finance background. He currently works as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Washburn Center for Children.
But, he said, his life experiences, immigrating from Somalia, could be even more valuable to his new role.
“After the war, it was very traumatic,” he recalled. “And I remember many of those experiences. And as you continue coming to America, assimilating to the culture, you’re trying to be successful and achieve the American dream.”
And with that, he has experienced healthcare disparities himself.
“Whether it be health outcomes or whether it be even just security being called on you, hours of visitation being allowed different times,” he listed. “I know this doesn’t happen every day, but when it happens to you, it hurts.”
He recognizes there is some trust needs to be rebuilt. Last month, his predecessor, Babette Apland, stepped down and apologized for comments she made during a closed budget meeting.
Apland said over a phone interview, that while they were discussing an increase in costs related to uncompensated care, she mentioned Somali immigrants.
“I meant it as a point of pride that we’re taking care of our community,” she said.
She received backlash from Hennepin County Commissioners and eventually stepped down from her position as chair.
“The hurtful comments do not reflect the values of our Hennepin Healthcare team, and we deeply regret and apologize for the harm they have caused,” said Hennepin Healthcare in a statement.
Apland said she is very supportive of Omar officially taking over the role. At the time, he was already chair-elect and set to transition over to that role.
“I’m very excited that he is in that role, and comes with a strong background,” she said.
Omar said the event was unfortunate, and added that the comments did lead to hurt within the Somali community.
“It has a compounding effect and continued stigmatization of that,” said Omar. “But what I can share with you is that there was a silver lining that came out of that.”
Omar was part of community listening sessions afterwards and was already in line for the chair position when Apland resigned.
Among strengthening the system’s relationships with partners and focusing on creating a healthy financial system for the HHC, he says a major goal of his is to emphasize equity, in training, recruitment and patient care.
“Yes, it’s a struggle, but one that we have to continue to do the necessary hard work and the hard conversations,” said Omar.
City staff helped support Gyropolis by removing an abandoned gas station and securing appropriate funding.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Even before noon, the lunch line was long at Gyropolis on Tuesday. The Greek restaurant was closed for renovations for several months but returned this week under a soft opening.
Dino Contolatis first opened Gyropolis in Bloomington in 2005, following in his parents’ footsteps. They opened a deli in the city in 1996 after emigrating from a picturesque but poor Greek village in 1971.
“My customers, I want to thank them for getting us to this point,” Contolatis said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”
One such customer, Chuck Pittman, says he’s eaten at the restaurant for at about 10 years now.
“There are lines that would go out the door,” said Pittman, who lives in St. Paul but works in Bloomington. “The parking lot was always super full.”
There have been so many customers, Contolatis decided in 2022 it was time to expand. Only, there was an abandoned gas station next door.
“It got broken into many times,” Pittman said. “It was just kind of an eyesore on the corner.”
The restaurant is located on 90th Street W and Penn Avenue S, which lead to places including City Hall and I-494. It’s considered a busy area, though not as busy as the Mall of America. Still, the city was eager to get involved in the restaurant’s expansion plans.
Economic development analyst Michael Palermo says the city helped demolish the gas station.
“This was a way to kind of redevelop a site that was kind of difficult to develop on its own,” Palermo said.
Palermo says city staff helped secure $58,400 in grant funds from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, making the demolition possible in Fall 2023. Tax increment financing also made the project possible.
“This just speaks to the greater effort we have to support our local commercial nodes,” Palermo said. “We have these big prominent regional destinations but we also want to support our small businesses.”
Gyropolis employees worked from a food truck over the last few months as the restaurant building nearly tripled in size.
The expansion includes a larger kitchen, more parking spaces, more indoor seating and a new patio for outdoor seating.
Pittman joked that gyros are somewhat challenging to eat in the car or on the go.
“I’ve done it, but it’s one of those things that you really want to sit down and enjoy it fresh because they make it perfectly,” he said.
Unlike before, there’s also enough room indoors to wait in line. There’s a pick-up window now, too.
“We used to be 10 employees and now we’re 14 and probably gonna need more, as we can see today,” Contolatis said. “My team are the best people I could possibly work with and the city has been great in helping me navigate this process and to help create a self-determining business on a very important corner in Bloomington that I hope has a bright future.”
Contolatis said a grand opening will take place next week.
After more than 300 suggestions were submitted, city officials have narrowed the finalists down to 10.
DULUTH, Minn. — Halloween can often be a reminder that snow is just around the corner… just ask any Minnesotan who was living in the state back in 1991.
While the idea of snow may not always be welcomed, city officials in Duluth are hoping to make the transition a little more fun.
Voting is now open online for the city’s first-ever snowplow naming contest after more than 300 suggestions were submitted. The 10 finalists to choose from include:
- Enger Plower
- Blizzard Wizzard
- Dewaagonebidood (“the one whi is pishing/plowing snow” in Ojibwe)
- Lake Snowbegone
- Sled Zeppelin
- Snow Dozer
- Edgar Allen Plow
- Plowus Maximus
- D’Lhut Drifter Lifter
- Plowabunga
People will have until Nov. 4 to vote, and the winning name will be announced during the Christmas City of the North Parade on Nov. 22. To vote, click here. The person or persons who submitted the name will win a photo opportunity and will ride in the plow during the parade.
The idea stems from the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s “Name-A-Plow” contest that was introduced back in 2020.
The group is calling on the governor and state lawmakers to join their cause and keep children safe.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — There’s a new push for better safety measures for kids with autism in Minnesota.
Autism advocates and the Council on American-Islamic Relations held an emergency meeting at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday to address two recent drownings.
Back in June, officials say a Hopkins boy with autism, 4-year-old Waeys Ali Mohamed, drowned in a creek. A few months later police say the body of 11-year-old Mohamed Mohamed was found in a pond near his home in Eden Prairie.
Both boys went missing from their homes and both were found in open water a short distance away. Other children have also drowned in recent years.
During their meeting Tuesday, autism advocates and parents shared information about recent cases, and they discovered a shocking statistic.
“We believe that eight children with autism from the Somali community died in the last three years,” CAIR Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said.
Many parents in the Somali community are deeply concerned about this issue.
“I am heartbroken yet again, to hear about a drowning in our community,” mother Fatima Molas said. “This could have been one of my kids. My son loped one week twice.”
Loping, also called Elopement, is a term used in the autism community for wandering. Advocates say children with autism are more likely to wander away from home and they’re often drawn to water.
“We have known for decades the number one cause of death in the autism community for children is drowning. Drowning is 100% preventable,” Jillian Nelson with the Autism Society of Minnesota says.
A recent study from the University of Minnesota suggests 1 in 16 Somali 4-year-olds will be diagnosed with autism, a rate advocates say is two times higher than the general population.
The task force is calling on the governor and lawmakers to join them as they search for strategies to keep these children safe.
“Give access to swim lessons. It’s a basic thing we can do. These children need to learn how to swim. Support the families,” Molas said.
Besides more access to swimming lessons, this task force is also requesting resources to help parents secure their homes so their children can’t get out in the middle of the night.
Advocates say another problem is many of these families have to wait 15 to 18 months to receive services, so they’re looking for strategies to bring that wait time down and bring more workers into the profession.
