MINNEAPOLIS — Three weeks after a Minneapolis health center abruptly closed, former employees say they are still being left in the dark.
Rainbow Health has served thousands of people in the LGBTQ+ community for years as a leading advocate for people living with HIV. Another nonprofit has since stepped in to help close the gap in services, but unionized clinic workers are frustrated with the way it’s been handled.
At a press conference outside Rainbow Health’s former Minneapolis facility, employees said Rainbow Health leaders canceled their last scheduled meeting on short notice.
“We still don’t know why we lost our jobs,” said one former employee.
During the meeting they hoped to get answers to questions about the closure and its impact on their clients.
In a Facebook post announcing the closure on July 18, the nonprofit cited “insurmountable financial challenges” as the reason for the closure. Many of the more than 60 union members said they were told of the closure only hours before the announcement. They said their contracts require 30 days’ notice.
“This is not good enough! We demand that our contract be honored, and we demand what is rightfully ours,” said former employee Ash Tifa.
The former employees are demanding 30 days’ salary and unused time off.
“We also demand a sincere apology and explanation,” said former employee Lee Start.
According to employees, the thousands of clients Rainbow Health has helped are now at an impasse.
“This whole experience has been shocking, very painful and quite hurtful, to say the least,” said Rick Kutcher, a former employee who is also living with HIV.
After the closure, the Minnesota Department of Human Services entered into an agreement with the nonprofit organization, the Vibrancy projectto help meet the need. The Minneapolis City Council subsequently approved the transfer of a $1.8 million grant intended for Rainbow Health to the Aliveness Project.
“I believe that the core services that the community really relies on will continue to exist in some form or shape. Is everything going to come back? No,” said Matt Toburen, executive director of the Aliveness Project.
Advocates like Kutcher fear that some services will be left behind.
“We provided the culturally specific support and services. We understood and understand our community,” he said.
Although their workplace is gone, former employees say they are still committed to serving the most vulnerable communities.
“Clients don’t just stop needing support, especially the most marginalized, the most traumatized people. This is another trauma,” Start said.
WCCO
Rainbow Health issued the following statement on Thursday afternoon:
The Rainbow Health Board of Directors is currently in the process of dissolving our organization. As part of this process, we must file a Notice of Intent to Dissolve with the Attorney General’s Office detailing our assets, liabilities, and dissolution expenses. We hope to file this as soon as possible, with the goal of filing no later than Friday, August 16, 2024. Our priority is to comply with all legal obligations and ensure that assets are distributed in accordance with the law. Our former employees and former clients remain top of mind during this transition. We have had several meetings with the SEIU and our legal counsel met with them again today.
In partnership with DHS (Minnesota Department of Human Services) and the Aliveness Project, we have transitioned former HIV care responsibilities to The Aliveness Project. We continue to work with local organizations to transition LGBTQ+ services to appropriate groups.
We understand the significant impact that the sudden closure of Rainbow Health has had on our community, clients and employees. We had to make the unfortunate decision to close abruptly to ensure that we could pay employees for the time they had already worked (this included their wages, health insurance and retirement contributions). We are doing our best to reduce our limited resources to maximize the payment of our outstanding debts and other obligations. We ask for your patience as we work through this process and will share more information as we are able.
We are extremely grateful for the dedication and support of everyone involved during this difficult time.
If you or someone you know in the LGBTQ+ community needs support, there are plenty of resources and services available through Front Minnesota, NAMI And Pride of the Twin Cities.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, seek help from Suicide and Crisis Helpline by calling or texting 988. Experienced crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, assistance is available from the National Alliance for Mental Illnessor NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
Kirsten Mitchell
