Why are the Community Listening & Sharing Engagements happening?


Hennepin Healthcare is developing a Supplier Diversity Program, assessing its current diversity procurement processes and is ready to make changes. The community listening engagements are intended to provide space for Hennepin Healthcare to engage the business community so that community members may provide meaningful insight into areas where changes may be made to Hennepin Healthcare’s existing practices, programs and/or policies.

Who may attend the Community Listening & Sharing Engagements?


Each of the engagements are designated to hear from a particular sector of the business community. Two sessions are open for all business owners to attend. The remaining sessions are designated for: 1) Construction and 2) Professional Services and Goods.

Are stipends being provided and is there any benefit to business owners attending?


Yes. $50 stipends will be provided to business owners who participate in the 1-hour sessions and stay for the full session. In addition, the first part of the session is dedicated to Hennepin Healthcare sharing about their organization and upcoming contract opportunities.

Where will the Community Listening & Sharing Engagements take place?


The Community Listening & Sharing Engagements and the Department & Community Shareback will be held virtually, via Zoom.

When are the engagements and the Community Shareback?


12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CST 

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CST

Is there a deadline to register for the engagements?

Attendees may register up to 2 days prior to each scheduled engagement. Specific registration deadlines can be found on the registration page for each individual engagement listed here. 

May I attend more than one engagement?

We are asking that business owners limit their participation to one (1) engagement, and a maximum of two (2) registrants per company, so that we may ensure there is enough space for all community voices wanting to be engaged, to be heard and valued. Each engagement will follow a similar structure.

Is there a limit on how many people may attend?

Yes, unfortunately there is. We want to allow those who attend an opportunity to be engaged without trying to rush conversation. As a result, we are limiting each session attendance to the first 20 people. There is a possibility we may add 1 or 2 additional open sessions in May. However, this is currently not available. If you are unable to make a session, there will be a survey available that any business owner may complete so that your input may be shared. The survey will be available late April/early May.

May I request ADA accommodations, or other services such as translation, to participate in one of the scheduled engagements?


In an effort to make these sessions as accessible as possible we seek to offer translation, interpretation, and/or ADA accommodations where feasible. For each request or accommodation listed above you will be able to make these selections on each engagement's registration page when submitting your registration. 

What is the Department and Community Shareback?

The shareback will be a time to playback to the business community members and Department staff who participated in the Community Listening & Sharing Engagements and the Department Listening & Sharing Engagements what was shared and heard across all engagement sessions.