The public was invited to tour another new building in Minneapolis' Downtown East neighborhood Saturday, but this one did not involve offices, restaurants or football.
Instead, the Hennepin Healthcare Clinic and Specialty Center, with more than 25 primary and specialty clinics, five same-day surgery suites and other outpatient services, opened its doors for tours before it begins taking patients on March 26.
"We've needed this for about 20-plus years, so it has been a long time coming," said Dr. Jon Pryor, chief executive of Hennepin Healthcare, the new name for Hennepin County Medical Center.
Located across the street from the hospital's south entrance, the $225 million clinic has six floors for patient care and two levels of underground parking.
It is expected that the new building will see 530,000 patient visits by the end of the year.
Designed using input from patients and staff, the building is meant to be easy to reconfigure as needs change. There's space for two additional operating rooms as well as for added new patient floors on the south wing of the building.
Patients will mostly see other patients, artwork and plenty of downtown views as they walk through the building, while doctors and other clinicians will conduct meetings and use computers located in the building's core.
"There are no permanent offices," said Dr. William Heegaard, chief clinical officer. "We want this to be a place of clinical care."