06/29/2020
“ A public health nurse, Sulekha started Healing Path in 2018 to serve immigrants and people of color to seek treatment that she said is often stigmatized in their communities. The clinic offers culturally specific treatment that doesn’t always rely on traditional mental health techniques, she said. It also focuses on building trust with patients through help outside of the clinic by providing them with resources like transportation.
Patients at Healing Path Wellness Services, an independent mental health clinic located on East Lake Street just under a mile west of Midtown Eye Clinic, also didn’t adapt to video appointments well during the pandemic. Healing Path served as a resource hub for the community in its physical location, providing a space for the community to access resources and connect with providers in person. Online visits were not a good fit for the clinic’s mission, said Sulekha Ibrahim, Healing Path’s founder.”
Lost COVID-19 revenue and the Lake Street fires are turning immigrant neighborhoods in south Minneapolis into health care deserts. The outcome for patients? “Their chronic conditions are getting, frankly, worse.”