Alongside the Muscatine Health Support Fund and UnityPoint Health – Trinity Muscatine, we celebrated the completion and opening of the new Mulberry Health Clinic on October 5, 2024. The new $20 million facility is owned by the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, operated by UnityPoint Clinic, and connected to the UnityPoint Health – Trinity Muscatine hospital.
To mark this significant milestone, we hosted an open house and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, bringing together over 70 individual and organizational supporters to recognize their vital contributions to this community-supported project. “This is truly a legacy project to be able to have the community come together the way they did and be able to provide access to local healthcare,” remarked Charla Schafer, President of the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
During both events, guests enjoyed guided tours of the newly built state-of-the-art facility, which has replaced the previous Mulberry Health Clinic building and has increased its footprint from 30,000 feet to 42,000 feet. The Mulberry Health Clinic features twenty additional exam rooms, an extra procedure room, and space for future expansion in departments such as telehealth, primary care, behavioral health, community health, and specialties. “It was designed by the providers that will be operating within it,” Schafer noted.
Following the grand opening events, UnityPoint Clinic transitioned operations to the new clinic, beginning with the Family Medicine and Pediatrics departments on the second floor, then Internal Medicine and Surgery on the first floor, and OB/GYN and Multi-Specialty on the third floor. As of October 14, 2024, all three floors of the Mulberry Health Clinic are fully operational. The former clinic building will soon begin demolition to make way for additional parking primarily designated for clinic and hospital employees.
The proximity of the clinic to the UnityPoint Health – Trinity Muscatine hospital ensures seamless access for patients, reducing transportation barriers and fostering collaboration between the hospital and clinic.
A partnership began in the 1970s in which the Muscatine Health Support Foundation received lease payments from the Mulberry Health Clinic and granted them back out to support initiatives aimed at strengthening our local healthcare system. The foundation eventually dissolved and transitioned all assets to the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, entrusting us with the responsibility to carry their legacy forward and continue granting lease payments back into the community. To date, $7 million in lease payments from the Mulberry Health Clinic have been reinvested into local healthcare—a commitment that will continue with the new facility.
Troy Fridley, Chair of the Trinity Muscatine Board, emphasized the broader impact of the project at the ribbon-cutting ceremony stating, “This clinic is not just a building. It’s a symbol of the strong relationships and the partnerships we strive for and cultivate in this community. Together we are building a healthier, stronger, thriving Muscatine.”
Comments