HealthPartners buys land for clinic in St. Paul

HealthPartners is spending $5.3 million for land to build a replacement clinic in the St. Anthony Park ­neighborhood of St. Paul.

Known as the Como Clinic, the medical practice has historic significance for Bloomington-based HealthPartners. It opened in 1957 as the first clinic operated by Group Health, a health plan that was one of the first of its kind to provide both medical care and health care financing.

In 1992, Group Health merged with MedCenters to create HealthPartners, an insurance company and clinic operator that now includes Regions Hospital in St. Paul and the Park Nicollet system.

Luther Seminary is selling the 4.5-acre plot as part of a final agreement announced earlier this week. The land is located across the street from the current clinic at 2500 Como Av.

"Como Clinic holds a special place in HealthPartners history, and this investment will ensure that we can continue to serve our community for decades to come," said Dr. Beth Averbeck, the senior medical director for primary care at HealthPartners, in a statement.

The new building will be roughly the same size as the current clinic, HealthPartners says, and offer the same services including primary care and dental. Construction will take about 18 months, but there's not yet a timeline for groundbreaking, said Patricia Lund, a HealthPartners spokeswoman.

Christopher Snowbeck • 612-673-4744