As the Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) marks 60 years of serving the Phillips neighborhood and surrounding communities, a new chapter is taking shape — literally from the ground up. University leaders, community members, patients, faculty, learners and partners recently gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new building, a transformative investment that will expand access to care, strengthen health professional training and deepen the University of Minnesota’s commitment to community partnership.
Founded in 1966 as Minnesota’s first community health center, CUHCC has long served as a model for how academic medicine and community-based care can work together to improve health outcomes. Today, the clinic provides integrated medical, dental and mental health services to thousands of patients each year, many of whom are immigrants, refugees and families navigating significant barriers to care. Patients collectively speak more than 55 languages, and the clinic remains committed to providing care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
The new facility — nearly double the size of the current building — reflects the growing needs of the community. The expanded space will include additional exam rooms and dental stations, on-site pharmacy services, physical therapy, imaging services and pediatric-focused waiting areas designed to create a more welcoming and healing environment for patients and families.
But the new building represents more than expanded clinical space. It is also an investment in the next generation of health professionals.
Each year, CUHCC provides interprofessional, experiential training for approximately 175 students and residents from across the University of Minnesota’s health sciences programs. Students train alongside providers and community partners in a setting that emphasizes team-based, whole-person and culturally responsive care.
That learning environment prepares students to become fully engaged and active leaders in Minnesota and beyond — professionals who understand that health is shaped not only in clinics and hospitals, but also through trust, community relationships and attention to the social drivers of health. Through partnerships that provide food access, legal assistance, interpretation services and financial navigation support, students experience firsthand what it means to care for the whole person.
The project also reflects the University’s commitment to innovating how health professionals learn and collaborate. Designed to support team-based and trauma-informed care, the facility will create new opportunities for interdisciplinary education, expanded clinical training and community-engaged research that directly addresses local health needs.
As construction begins, CUHCC’s mission remains unchanged: serving the Phillips neighborhood community with compassion, dignity and partnership. The new building honors six decades of community trust while positioning CUHCC to continue transforming care, education and health equity for generations to come.
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