Trusted Neighborhood Partner for Holistic Health and Wellness Needs

This close-knit atmosphere and understanding presence allow the NorthPoint clinicians and staff to successfully support anyone who walks in the door— not just as a patient or client, but also as a neighbor who often has been where they are.

“We look at people holistically,” LaTrisha Vetaw, health policy and advocacy manager at NorthPoint.  “The key word is empathy. The staff here knows what it feels like to need a food shelf and how to handle government assistance medical insurance because many have of them have had to use it themselves.”

Vetaw also notes that the clinic’s top doctor grew up in north Minneapolis and returned to the neighborhood after medical school. “He is committed to the people. Generations of people know him, that’s what matters,” she said.

A One-Stop Health and Wellness Shop

North Point, located on Penn Ave. in North Minneapolis, has a medical, dental and behavioral health clinic and a human services center on site. With buildings located side by side, a client can walk across the parking lot from a doctor’s appointment to the human services center, where they can access the food shelf or get help for many health and wellness needs.

“We may get a person in who needs a bus pass or needs the food shelf, but we have a conversation and learn that there is a bigger issue. They need a job, or housing is an issue, or they may be struggling with mental health problems,” Vetaw said.

No matter whether they come in through the clinic or the human service center, each person will be treated with a holistic health approach where the NorthPoint staff person will help connect them to the resources or clinical support they need, in addition to offering support for the immediate need.

A Community Connection that Extends Beyond their Doors

NorthPoint’s work doesn’t end within their doors—nor are their community programs limited to their physical space. Far from it. NorthPoint has implemented programs like Breath Free North, a youth-run program focused on tobacco cessation among young people. And they recently launched a healthy vending machine initiative, also led by youth. The program, which is being incorporated into schools and community centers, aims to get healthier snack options in vending machines.

“Because NorthPoint does a lot of work with youth, they’ve been able to build up many youth advocates in their community,” said Christian Knights, strategic communications manager in Blue Cross’ Center for Prevention, who has worked closely with the organization. “These programs all work because they are a trusted part of the community,” Knight said. “That’s how they make progress.”

NorthPoint has also worked closely with Nice Ride Minnesota to implement the Nice Ride Neighborhood program, where participants can take place in a fourth-month cycling experience that allows people to borrow a bike, learn bike safety and participate in community events and group rides.  Vetaw says the North Minneapolis rides allowed participants to see parts of their neighborhood they may have not otherwise visited.

All three efforts—Breath Free North, the healthy vending machine initiative and Nice Ride Neighborhood—have been supported with funding from the Center for Prevention.

The Power of the Individual Connection

Ultimately, the truly lasting change that NorthPoint is able to make is based in their long-term commitment to each person they serve.

“What they know is that in order to make these changes—whether it is helping someone exercise more, eat healthier or stop using tobacco—that you have to be willing to go to the people and give them that push to help move them along,” Vetaw said.

One such push for change was beginning to offer a weekly Zumba fitness class in the community room of a nearby large housing complex because transportation to a community center or fitness center would be difficult for many people who live there.

Vetaw notes that in order to succeed, each small push needs to be coupled with a lot of ongoing, personalized support.  “It’s all about that connection,” she said. “If they like you, they want to see you. It’s all down to the individual level.”

Big Issues, Customized Solutions

Vetaw says that the reason NorthPoint’s program works as well as it does is because they look at not only the overall community need, but each person’s situation on its own merit.

“When I started working on tobacco, I saw that food and inactivity is an issue. While I understand that getting someone to stop smoking is important, food and transportation needs may be a higher priority for them,” she said. “Ten years ago, it was all tobacco. I came to realize that I was doing the community a disservice by not addressing everything.”

Today, with that full service approach, NorthPoint is helping North Minneapolis residents find better health by giving a customized prescription for wellness, along with a strong dose of community care.