Patients in HCMC's emergency department are often facing some of the most challenging times of their lives, and hospital staff doesn't want any of them to worry about having clean underwear.

That's why the Hennepin Healthcare Foundation, the health system's charity, launched the "Undy 500 Dignity Drive" – a riff on the famous Memorial Day weekend car race – to collect new underwear, socks and T-shirts for patients in need.

"The initiative is a fun and cheeky way to get the public interested and inspired to support our patient population," said Amy Carlson, the foundation's senior director of marketing.

The state's largest safety-net hospital sees more than 100,000 patients each year in its Level 1 trauma center in downtown Minneapolis. Crash victims and others in medical distress often need their clothes cut off so doctors and nurses can administer aid.

Carlson says a "not insignificant" number of those patients are struggling with homelessness, substance abuse and other challenges. "They don't have family or friends who can meet them at the hospital with another set of clothes," she said.

Without a stockpile of clean underwear and other clothes, some patients would be discharged in paper scrubs, something Carlson says is "disheartening to hospital staff."

"The whole goal is to be able to discharge all of our patients with dignity," she said.

The hospital runs different clothing drives throughout the year to supply its emergency clothing closet, collecting everything from underwear to hats, coats and gloves.

The "Undy" drive runs through May 9, and there are donation bins at the welcome desks in the Minneapolis hospital's Blue and Purple buildings as well as in Hennepin Healthcare clinics around the county. People can also donate to the effort online here.

Hennepin Healthcare System was created by the County Board in 2006 to run HCMC and its related clinics. The county still owns all of the health systems facilities and taxpayers help financially support the hospital and clinics.