HealthPartners to purchase land from Luther Seminary

Site will be home of a new HealthPartners Como Clinic

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — HealthPartners today announced that it has reached an agreement to purchase land from Luther Seminary. The land, which is across the street and on the north side of HealthPartners Como Clinic, will be the new location for the current clinic.

“Como Clinic represents the roots of our organization, and we are pleased to partner with Luther Seminary and Ecumen on an investment that will continue to serve the community for decades to come,” said Beth Averbeck, MD, HealthPartners Senior Medical Director for Primary Care.

Como Clinic opened in 1957 as the first clinic for what was then Group Health. It was a new model that provided both medical care and health care financing. The model focused on prevention and maintaining health as a way to reduce medical expenses and make care more affordable. In 1992, Group Health merged with MedCenters to become HealthPartners.

The land purchase is part of Luther Seminary’s plan for long-term development. These plans include a senior housing project with 49 units that will be built by Ecumen and other renovations to the campus. “We are thrilled to be partnering with two well-respected organizations,” said Robin Steinke, Luther Seminary president. “We are excited about how their work will enhance both the Luther Seminary campus and the surrounding communities.”

Purchasing the land is the first step in a multi-year process that will start with an extensive community engagement and thoughtful design phase. Groundbreaking is expected in 3-4 years and construction would take an estimated 18 months. The current clinic will continue to offer all services until the new facility opens. The new building is expected to be roughly the same size as the current clinic and will offer the same services which include primary, specialty and urgent care, dental and pharmacy.