AUGUST 23, 2021
North Minneapolis Community is Stronger Together:
Building for the Future with NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center Campus Expansion To readers: Sponsored columns consist of paid NorthPoint, where she’s “excited to be working back For example, the food shelf will have expanded cold content from companies and organizations that
in north Minneapolis and seeing all the wonderful
storage and dry storage facilities, and a redesigned
have information and opinions to share with the changes that are happening in the community.” Dr. pantry area will enable two clients to be served silegal community. They do not represent the views of Minnesota Lawyer. Columns are accepted on a variety of topics and are subject to approval by Finance & Commerce management. The impetus for NorthPoint came from this: President Johnson initiated the nationwide Neighborhood Services Program (NSP) in 1967 as part of the Johnson Administration’s War on Poverty. Five independent federal agencies collaborated on the establishment of multi-purpose social service centers in poor urban neighborhoods across the country, including Minneapolis. The seeds that would grow into what is today the NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center were sown then, as part of a national pilot program for community-based, multi-purpose social services centers. The program has grown and changed over the decades but is still guided by the original principals and vision on which it was founded. NorthPoint is co-administered by NorthPoint, Inc., a non-profit social/human services agency, and Hennepin County.
Price-Isuk was enthusiastic about the potential for the
multaneously. NorthPoint is planning to maximize the
new campus to provide an overall sense of community
benefits of the expanded facility through a carefully
wellness and provide a warm and inviting space for
planned reorganization of both the physical space and
the people being served. “We’re considered to serve
the systems by which the programs are run. Current
the ‘underserved,’ but our community is deserving
spaces are very segmented, causing staff to waste
of something magnificent. I feel like this is going to
time looking for colleagues or resources, and making
bring a lot of healing and trust.” Food Shelf Manager
collaboration between colleagues laborious at best.
Stuart Iseminger agreed, adding that “at North Point
Meanwhile, members of the community may have
we value the respect and dignity of our clients, and
difficulty finding and accessing the services they need.
it’s going to be nice when our space also reflects that. I
The revised, expanded spaces and improved wayfind-
think all people, even low-income folks, deserve a well
ing will streamline the experiences of both staff and
-designed, welcoming space.”
clients.
Services at NorthPoint are provided using an inte-
In addition to making current programs more effi-
grated services model, so that wherever a client enters
cient and effective, the expansion project will also offer
the system, staff will help them discover what other
enough space for new services. Dr. Price-Isuk described
services they’re eligible for. Those services are now
a planned teaching kitchen space, where “our nutri-
spread over four buildings, which often causes confu-
tionist and diabetes educators and other folks will be
sion to clients, according to Iseminger. “Making those
able to show the community, in a hands-on way, how to
connections will be easier when we’re under one roof.
make healthy foods. It just promotes that care of the
If a client needs help signing up for food stamps or
whole person that’s so important.”
SNAP benefits, we could just literally walk them over
As a provider of holistic health services, NorthPoint
to that office. There’s also a higher chance that those
is using the opportunity provided by this construction
originally completed in 1993. Population growth
referrals will be completed when we’re under one roof.”
project to make changes that will affect the commu-
and the expansion of services offered by NorthPoint
Michelle Wells was a patient at NorthPoint
nity as a whole, as well as the individuals within it.
have made the current spaces inadequate; an am-
(then called Pilot City) while growing up in North
The With funding from the Mississippi Watershed
bitious expansion and reorganization is underway.
Minneapolis and is currently Call Center Supervisor.
Management Organization, the expanded campus will
JE Dunn Construction, TRI-Construction, and KMS
She regards the call center as the gateway to
incorporate infiltration gardens to help manage and
Construction are providing construction services for
NorthPoint, ensuring that anyone calling NorthPoint
reuse stormwaterstorm water runoff, and rainwater
this third and final phase of the $90 million proj-
is given access to not only what they’re asking for but
gardens featuring native plants will provide both ed-
ect, which will double the clinic space and bring all
also services that they might not know are available to
ucation and an inviting space for community events.
NorthPoint’s services into a single campus.
them. “It’s just kind of letting (callers) know that we’ve
A virtual groundbreaking ceremony was held
got all of these services integrated under one building.
on August 12 to celebrate the official start of the
We’re kind of a one stop shop.”
NorthPoint expansion and renovation. The facility
NorthPoint currently provides services at multiple locations, including the primary clinic building
Dr. Rahshana Price-Isuk is a family physician who grew up just around the corner from NorthPoint in North Minneapolis. After working at various neigh-
With almost twice the original square footage avail-
will be open and providing services to the community
borhood clinics for several years, she was recently
able after the project is completed, plans are in place
throughout construction, which is scheduled to be
recruited to serve as Director of Clinic Services for
to enlarge many departments and improve operations.
completed in December 2023.
Reprinted with permission of Finance & Commerce ©2021