M Health Fairview Clinic on Rice Street celebrates 100 years in St. Paul
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A clinic in St. Paul’s North End neighborhood celebrated its 100th anniversary Tuesday morning.
M Health Fairview Clinic-Rice Street hosted a community event to commemorate its centennial milestone.
The clinic’s leadership, joined by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Attorney General Keith Ellison, revealed Fairview Health Services was the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s Foster G. McGaw Prize. The award recognizes hospitals for their efforts to support the health of members in their communities.
Fairview Health Services said it is the first Minnesota health system in nearly 30 years to be recognized with this distinction.
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“This clinic has been a mainstay in this community for 100-plus years … through it all, we’ve cared for the people, because ultimately that’s what we do, and that’s who we are,” said Dr. Charlene Ulstad, family medicine physician at the Rice Street clinic.
The clinic prides itself on diverse care, including battling food insecurity, income and cultural barriers.
“We serve a large Hmong, Karen, Nepali, Somali, Hispanic population,” Ulstad said. “We serve multigenerational families, and this has truly become a community.”
The Rice Street clinic, in partnership with Urban Roots, also announced a new community garden a block south from the clinic, along Hatch Avenue.
Urban Roots is a youth development program that creates economic and educational opportunities while addressing community needs and food access.
“I speak a lot about the issue of people affording their lives and living with dignity, safety and respect. It’s just about impossible to do it if you’re choosing between paying the bills and buying food for yourself and your family. And eating healthy helps us stay healthy, but because rise and cost in prices … too many Minnesotans — too many Americans — don’t have consistent access to food that they need,” Ellison said.
Rice Street holds a rich history for businesses and workplaces since it was established in the late 1800s, according to Historic St. Paul. In 1930, there were 24 shops operating between Sycamore Street and Maryland Avenue. At the time, people could not travel far for groceries. They relied on nearby stores, hence the volume of consecutive stores in the area.
Even if most of the original buildings have been replaced with newer ones, the current establishments provide locals with a similar purpose: commercial opportunities.
“I learned really quickly that you didn’t have to go far in this neighborhood to get a great pizza. You didn’t have to go far in this neighborhood to engage with incredible neighbors or to find an incredible library,” Carter said.
