Tubman Health Center Breaks Ground In South Seattle

After years of planning, organizing and community advocacy, construction is officially underway on the Tubman Health Center, a 26,000-square-foot facility in Rainier Beach designed to expand access to culturally responsive health care and community wellness services in South Seattle.

Community members, elected officials, partners and supporters gathered June 5 for a soil-turning ceremony marking the start of construction on the long-anticipated project, which organizers describe as a community-designed space built by and for the people it will serve.

Located within walking distance of the Rainier Beach light rail station, the future health center is expected to serve approximately 12,000 primary care patients each year while reaching more than 16,000 community members through wellness programs, community gatherings and health education initiatives.

Before construction begins in earnest, organizers used the ceremony to reflect on the broader significance of the project and the years of work that brought it to this point.

The gathering opened with a libations ceremony led by Nacala Ayele, founding board president and a current Tubman Health patient, who honored ancestors whose sacrifices helped make the project possible.

Calling on attendees to reflect on the future they hope to build, Ayele asked participants to “help us remember how to build for eternity, as we are building for the now.”

Attendees later participated in a grounding exercise, placing their hands in the soil and reflecting on the values they hoped the center would nurture, including healing, care and community wellbeing.

Throughout the ceremony, organizers emphasized that the Tubman Health Center represents more than a new medical facility. They described it as part of a broader effort to create a self-determined future in which historically marginalized communities are not only able to access trusted health care, but also help shape the systems and services that affect their wellbeing.

The center will bring together a range of health and wellness services under one roof, including allopathic and naturopathic primary care, behavioral health services and complementary healing practices.

Plans for the facility include eight healing suites, including family-sized treatment rooms, three behavioral health suites, eight massage and acupuncture treatment areas, a mammography and ultrasound suite, a hydrotherapy spa, a grab-and-go café and herbal apothecary, a community gathering courtyard and a flexible meeting and movement space.

Supporters say the integrated model is designed to address both physical and emotional health while creating space for community connection and healing.

The ceremony drew elected officials from the City of Seattle, King County and the State of Washington, who were recognized for supporting the project and helping move it toward construction.

Community Ambassador Monisha Harrell, who served as the event’s emcee, closed the ceremony by highlighting the collective effort behind the project and encouraging continued community support as construction moves forward.

“We are ready to go with the folks who are ready to go with us,” Harrell said. “We have everything and everybody that we need. Stay with us, move with us, and continue pushing forward.”

Construction on the Tubman Health Center is expected to be completed in winter 2027, bringing a new community-centered health and wellness hub to the heart of Rainier Beach.