Big bucks and big changes are on the horizon for North Minneapolis’ beacon of health and wellness. NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center is basking in the glow of a $90 million overhaul, all bankrolled by Hennepin County. Local luminaries and political heavy-hitters gathered on May 18 to mark the completion of a 30-month expansion that promises to keep the center at the frontline of community health.
County leaders lined up to pat themselves on the back, with Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando leading the charge. "It is an honor to get to deliver on the vision that this community has asked for and has created for itself," she crowed at the event, according to Hennepin County, Minnesota. But the celebration wasn’t just about bricks and mortar; it was also about passing the torch. Stella Whitney-West, the outgoing CEO of NorthPoint, shared the stage with Kimberly Spates, set to take over the reins come June 17.
"I’m leaving a legacy of leaders and amazing staff here at NorthPoint who will move the mission forward," Whitney-West reflected during the fanfare, as stated in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Spates, who's been keeping the trains running on time as the Chief Operations Officer of Human Services since 2014, is prepped to continue the outfit’s deep-rooted tradition of community empowerment.
The center is somewhat of a lifeline in North Minneapolis—more than 30,000 folks a year come through its doors for medical, dental, behavioral health, and human services. And now, thanks to the beefed-up campus, the community can access a wider range of services from shiny new facilities. The expansion includes everything from dental specialty services and a Food Shelf distribution point to a kid-friendly Wellness Center and a Spirituality, Healing, and Wellness Centre—all nestled within an environmentally conscious campus complete with infiltration gardens, courtesy of Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.
