People Center Clinics & Services

A Clinic Remodel to Serve a Diverse Community

People’s Center Clinics & Services is a community-based healthcare organization, located in the Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis. We’ve partnered with this organization to help on a remodel of the clinic to better serve the local community, including the Somali-America population and immigrants from Africa, many of whom live within blocks of the clinic.

The challenge was that the four-story building, built in the early 1900’s, once housed an elementary school, a veterinary clinic, more recently, a theater space and a family practice clinic. The HGA team started this collaboration in 2017. Over time, what began as a 9,000 square foot remodel project grew into a 21,000 square foot l project that included a walk-in clinic, a dental clinic, a mental health clinic, and a family practice clinic with specialists in pediatric care and Women’s Health.

Improvements were made to waiting and reception spaces, existing staff spaces and exam rooms with new spaces added for staff teaming areas, lab spaces, medication rooms, a prayer room, a staff break room with a mother’s room, a call center, executive offices and a board room.  The team found ways to infuse creativity with a limited budget, such as installing wall graphics and art from the local community to add vibrancy to the interiors.

Feedback from the client has been extremely positive, including increased use of the daylit breakroom, new mother’s room, and a private prayer room used throughout the day. They also appreciate the exam rooms – designed to accommodate large family groups, strollers, interpreters, and providers; and the privacy of the Mental Health counseling space.