MINNEAPOLIS, MN — University of Minnesota leaders and faculty, state officials, clinic staff, and patient board members broke ground on a new Community-University Health Care Center building. Twice the size of the current clinic, the new, advanced facility will expand patient access, enhance care delivery, and strengthen the university’s health professional training programs.
Founded in 1966 by University of Minnesota Medical School faculty, the center is the state’s first and longest-running community health center, providing health and wellness care to low-income community members, refugees, and immigrants. In 2025, the clinic served more than 12,000 patients through more than 53,000 visits.
“The Community-University Health Care Center is where our University of Minnesota land-grant mission comes to life — expanding access to high‑quality, community‑centered care while training the next generation of health professionals alongside and within the communities they will serve,” said Dr. Carol Bradford, Interim Dean for the University of Minnesota Medical School and Interim University Executive Vice President for Health Affairs. “This new clinic strengthens our ability to meet patients where they are today and prepare our students to deliver compassionate, real‑world care for Minnesota’s future.”
The center offers a full range of medical, dental, and mental health services, including pediatric care, midwifery, and psychiatry. It also provides access to critical social services, including financial navigation programs, food support, interpreters, and pro bono legal services offered in partnership with Stinson LLP. In addition to medical and social services, the clinic conducts and shares research that brings together community members, researchers, and health care providers to advocate for and transform community health.
The new clinic will add patient exam rooms and dental stations, onsite pharmacy services so patients can fill prescriptions, and new offerings such as physical therapy and imaging. With the expansion, the clinic will be able to accommodate an additional 36,500 patient visits over the next decade.
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"This expansion offers current and future patients an improved, warmer space for health and healing,” said Dr. Roli Dwivedi, Community-University Health Care Center CEO. “More space, a pharmacy, and new services will enhance our ability to provide fully integrated, whole-person care to the community we’ve served for 60 years. Beyond healing, this project strengthens the center’s role as a place for learning — preparing the next generation of health professionals to deliver team-based care in partnership with the diverse communities they will serve.”
The Community-University Health Care Center is one of the largest urban primary care training sites in Minnesota, annually providing interprofessional, experiential training to 175 residents and students from the University’s College of Pharmacy, Medical School, School of Dentistry, School of Public Health, School of Social Work, and others. The new clinic will be able to expand its training opportunities in areas such as physical therapy, radiology, and pharmacy.
The clinic provides care to a diverse patient population. Its patients collectively speak more than 55 languages and most rely on public health care coverage. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, the center provides accessible, affordable care regardless of ability to pay.
The building was designed by the design firm HGA and will be constructed by JE Dunn Construction. The current clinic will remain open during construction, which is expected to be completed by July 2027.
