A new community health center will open next year in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, with goals of improving infant health and expanding access to medical and pharmacy services.
Neighborhood Family Practice will open the facility — just off Fulton Road near Clark Avenue — in early 2026, with a full-service pharmacy planned to follow in 2027.
The project is designed to meet long-standing health needs in the neighborhood, while also preparing for the loss of health coverage many patients could face due to state and federal Medicaid changes, said NFP President and CEO Domonic Hopson.
"Our focus is on really looking forward and trying to prioritize and prepare for what that looks like a year and a half or so from now, when some of those policies go into effect," he said. "Comprehensive health centers ... allows us to serve and meet as many of the needs of our patients (in one place) as we can in an outpatient setting."
The federally qualified health center serves patients regardless of income, insurance coverage, or immigration status.
At the new location, services will include expanded midwifery, prenatal and infant care, primary care, behavioral health and on-site lab testing. A large classroom will host group prenatal and postnatal visits, offering support and education for new and expecting parents.
The investment comes as Cleveland continues to face one of the nation’s highest infant mortality rates. In 2023, the city reported 13.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births—more than twice the national average.
Hopson said expanding maternal and infant care right in patients' neighborhoods is critical to improving health outcomes for the city’s most vulnerable families.
"Having primary care and women's health in one location ... to make sure that the mother is healthy before pregnancy and then during pregnancy — I think that improves the outcomes of having a successful delivery," he said. "Then ... making sure that that newborn has a primary care visit before they leave the hospital."
The announcement of the Clark-Fulton center follows the organization’s March opening of a 10,000-square-foot health center at Lorain Avenue and West 130th Street, the site of a former CVS pharmacy.
Hopson said the goal is for the organization to fill the gap in pharmacy services left by several large chains closing many locations across the country.
"Historically how our patients have performed, when they were doing their best, we know that prescription access is a key part of that," he said. "So as we are planning on adding new locations, we've learned that that's a key component to make sure that we can solve (the problem of diminishing pharmacy access) for our patients."
