St. Cloud, Minn.-based CentraCare has completed a new medical education building in partnership with the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Design firm HGA led the conversion of a former administrative facility into the new CentraCare – University of Minnesota Medical Education Building in St. Cloud, according to a Sept. 16 HGA news release shared with Becker’s.
The project expands the University of Minnesota Medical School’s training footprint into central Minnesota and aims to address the growing physician shortage in rural parts of the state. As of 2024, metro areas in Minnesota have about 33 family medicine physicians per 100,000 people, compared to fewer than three per 100,000 in rural areas, according to the state health department.
The facility was designed to provide medical students with hands-on learning experiences to encourage them to stay and practice in rural communities. It features flexible learning spaces, a simulation lab configured for various medical scenarios, and design elements that reflect the region’s lakes and prairies.
HGA has partnered with CentraCare for more than 25 years and has designed more than 70 critical access hospitals, clinics and specialty clinics across rural Minnesota, according to the release.
The project was completed in August 2025.
