New $30 Million East Lake Street Clinic Opens in South Minneapolis, Bringing Integrated Health Care to an Underserved Community
Contributing writer Izzy Canizares reports on the opening of Southside Community Health Services' new East Lake Street Clinic, a $30 million facility offering medical, dental, vision and behavioral health services to South Minneapolis residents regardless of insurance status, in a corridor where Black and Latino residents face some of the highest uninsurance rates in the state.
While Minneapolis is not in the middle of nowhere, the metro area suffers from a lack of non-emergency medical centers, leaving those needing care to rely on hospitals like HCMC whose resources are already spread thin. At the beginning of May, Southside Community Health Services opened a new East Lake Street Clinic, offering more services for residents with and without insurance.
“Every community should have a place offering a full range of health care services in one, accessible place, but the Southside community is particularly underserved. There just aren’t enough places to care for the people who need it,” U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in a statement about the clinic’s opening. “But now, how amazing is it that people can come to the new clinic and get the very best care you could get anywhere.”
The $30 million clinic, funded partially by private donations and $3 million in congressional funding secured by Sens. Smith and Amy Klobuchar, was built to fill a void in health care among South Minneapolis residents. In Hennepin County alone, there are 32 community clinics, with only 15 offering services for those on Medicaid. Only one clinic, St. Mary’s, offers services free of charge.
Data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows that the percentage of Minnesotans without health insurance increased to 5.8% in 2025, with rates among Black and Hispanic residents rising sharply between 2023 and 2025. “Long-standing disparities in the uninsurance rate by race and ethnicity and income persisted in 2025,” the report states. “Hispanic Minnesotans continue to have the highest rates of uninsurance by race and ethnicity in the state at 20.7%, more than triple the statewide rate. Black Minnesotans are uninsured at nearly double the rate of all Minnesotans statewide.”
The pattern is consistent among South Minneapolis residents. The Neighborhood Development Center reported in 2023 that only 36% of low-income South Minneapolis residents have received care at a community health center. The Lake Street clinic is surrounded by neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty than the city average, including Midtown Phillips, which has a poverty rate of 40% compared to the city’s 17%, according to the Minneapolis poverty dashboard. The area also has a higher concentration of Black and Latino residents.
“What’s great about the Southside East Lake Street Clinic is that no matter what your health insurance is, or even if you don’t have health insurance, you can go to the East Lake Street Clinic and get fully integrated care,” Smith said. “You can get dental care, cancer screenings and even behavioral therapy, and that kind of complete care is exactly what people need.”
Southside Community Health Services has been operating since 1971 and is a Federally Qualified Health Center, meaning its federal funding relies on its ability to provide care to underserved populations. The new Lake Street clinic will offer medical, oral, vision and behavioral health services, and also provides navigation assistance for patients seeking state insurance coverage.
“Through daily interactions with patients and residents, Southside’s staff and board are keenly aware of the effects that social drivers of health have on access to care, health outcomes and quality of life,” said Ann Cazaban, executive director of Southside Community Health Services. “Staff and the board see firsthand that patients have health concerns exacerbated by disparities based on race and ethnicity, income or where they live. We use this knowledge and lived experience to inform how we provide person-centered care at Southside, and our clinical quality outcomes demonstrate our effectiveness in doing so.”
The clinic also offers services on a sliding fee scale, where patients must bring proof of income to determine whether they qualify and how much they are able to pay. While Southside Community Health Services originally operated out of two smaller clinics, it closed one to be replaced by the new Lake Street location.
“At Southside, we believe that everyone has a right to high-quality health care,” Cazaban said. “We know that helping people achieve their best health makes our community better, and we know that getting access to high-quality primary care can help people identify health concerns earlier when they are easier to treat. This keeps people out of the hospitals and emergency departments.”
“I’m excited for the Southside of Minneapolis and for everyone who can go to the East Lake Street Clinic to access the care they deserve,” Smith said.
The East Lake Street Clinic is located at 2215 East Lake Street. For more information, visit www.hennepinhealthcare.org/locations/east-lake-clinic.
Izzy Canizares is a freelance journalist and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.