Health Commons in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood

Welcome to the Health Commons in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood website! We are a drop-in center that is dedicated to serving those in the Cedar-Riverside area with a focus on healthy individuals and community. Our services are free of charge and open to everyone. We are committed to service based on respect, relationship, and collaboration that connects health and hope for all participants.  Our partnership represents a collaborative effort between Augsburg College Department of Nursing, Fairview Health Services, and the East Africa Health Project.  The majority of our current funding is provided through a grant from UCare.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide simple supplies needed for health, to make connections to new ideas, to link individuals and resources in the community, and to make connections to each other.  Our nursing practice at the Health Commons is founded on hospitality and relationship development that leads to transcultural understanding and health benefits for all participants.

History of the Health Commons in Cedar-Riverside

The Health Commons in the neighborhood came into existence through a series of events. A group consisting of a student, an alumni, and a faculty member at St. Catherine’s University received an NIH grant to conducted discussion groups with Somali immigrant women in the Cedar-Riverside area focusing on identifying health concerns and barriers to health of participants. Once the sessions were completed, the group looked for a way to address these issues. Hearing about the work that the Augsburg College Nursing Department had been doing for the last two decades at the Augsburg Central Health Commons, the group decided to meet with the coordinators from Augsburg College to discuss a partnership to open an additional Health Commons. This is how the development of the Health Commons in Cedar-Riverside began to unfold.  Then, starting in December of 2012, we have added an additional location on the second floor of building C, in the Cedar-Riverside Plaza.

Nurses from the wider nursing community also assist in operation

Our work at the Health Commons began with the same principles that have laid the foundation for Augsburg Central Health Commons and changes continue to be made according to our framework of practice, relationships, interventions, and ways of being as the Health Commons at Dar Ul-Quba as seen appropriate by our leaders and advisory board members.

Participants at the Health Commons

The people who come to the Health Commons represent diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. The Health Commons in Cedar-Riverside staff seek to assist people in many ways: to better health within the reality of their personal life circumstances, to help them maintain health despite illness, to support them as they cope with disease, and to assist them in obtaining appropriate medical care. Health concerns include many issues: diet and nutrition, medication clarification, negotiating stressful life circumstances, addressing mental health illnesses, adjusting to life in a new country, navigating the health care system, connecting to community resources, managing the miseries of seasonal colds and flu, help with minor injuries and skin irritations, and dealing with regimens for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Attire: Please wear culturally acceptable clothing for this site. No V-neck or scoop neck shirts. Long sleeves only. Dress pants, no jeans. You will be taking off your shoes for the experience, so you most likely want to wear socks. No short skirts or shorts.

Locations and Hours

We currently have two locations in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.  The original location is located at 1501 6th Street South in Minneapolis at Dar Ul-Quba Cultural Center. Parking is available in the mosque parking lot located next to the Health Commons or on the street.  This location is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-5 pm.

Our second site is located in the Cedar-Riverside Plaza in building C off of 6th Street South (across from the Dar Ul-Quba location).  This location has drop-in hours from 2-4 pm Monday through Friday, where a nurse or doctor is available for one on one consultation and different groups are held.

Please check our calendar for activities and locations.

See the attached calendar for additional classes and programs available at each site.

Please contact Katie Clark at clarkk@augsburg.edu with questions