The warm autumn sun streamed through the large windows of the Inspire Change Clinic in Minneapolis. Inside, the atmosphere was filled with excitement, matching the brightness of the day.
Dozens of community members, health care providers and state public health leaders gathered to celebrate the launch of a new neighborhood clinic focused on advancing health equity.
The clinic aims to improve health outcomes for underserved communities by offering culturally sensitive health care. When patients feel seen and respected, research shows they are more likely to communicate openly, trust their providers and adhere to treatment plans, significantly reducing the risk of misdiagnoses and medical errors that often stem from cultural misunderstandings.
“As we work towards eliminating health disparities across the city, we cannot do it without additional access to care for those who are most impacted,” said Damōn Chaplin, commissioner of the Minneapolis Health Department. “It's essential.”
When Munira Maalimisaq was nine years old, she emigrated from East Africa with her family to Fargo, N.D. After adjusting to life in a new country with a different language and harsh winters, Maalimisaq became a nurse practitioner. Now, she is the co-founder of Inspire Change Clinic.
“This started from me doing a lot of health equity work, working in hospitals clinics, and always feeling like we're putting a bandage on the problem, rather than being embedded in the community,” Maalimisaq said.
The clinic is set to open next week in the Ventura Village neighborhood of Minneapolis and will offer a variety of services, including primary and preventive care, maternal mental health support, vaccinations, chronic care management for conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as specialized services such as women's health and infectious disease research.
The doctors and clinicians at the clinic are familiar with the community and are active members, helping patients to build trust and establish relationships with their health care providers.
Maalimisaq has witnessed the gaps in health care and understands the systemic barriers that specific communities face when visiting large hospitals and clinics. These barriers include difficulties in communication, long wait times and pain not being taken seriously.
“I did a lot of work around health equity and reducing health disparities. I saw what the numbers looked like for people that looked like me or people that did not have a lot of health literacy,” Maalimisaq said. “I know what it feels like to sit in that chair and not feel comfortable.”
The clinic is open to everyone in the community. Maalimisaq emphasized that care will not focus solely on treating illness; there will also be space for clothing donations and assistance with resume writing.
Multiple languages will be spoken at the clinic, including Spanish, Ormo, Harari, English and two Somali dialects. Maalimisaq noted that language-appropriate health education leads to a significant reduction in hospital visits for patients.
The clinic has already seen high demand, with 400 patients signing up within two weeks of the online platform opening. However, the goal at Inspire Change is not about the quantity of patients seen, but rather the impact that is made.
"I'm all about numbers and improvement, and people coming back and saying, ‘Hey, thank you so much,’ and then feeling like they're heard,” Maalimisaq said.
Residents of the neighborhood refer to the clinic as the heart of their community. They appreciate its presence and feel a connection when a doctor shares their culture and background.
Inspire Change represents the value public health can bring to a neighborhood, said Angela Conley, Hennepin County Commissioner, during the clinic’s launch.
“As a parent, neighbor, friend and woman, I need to see that we invest in models of care like this,” Conley said. “What Inspire Change Clinic will bring to this community warms my heart. We need it desperately.”
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