M Health Fairview community clinical care program has a big impact on the community
Trust, cost, and transportation are three of the most significant barriers standing in the way of healthcare access.
Ingrid Johansen, director of community clinical care for M Health Fairview Community Advancement, has worked diligently to overcome these barriers for patients and community members. She leads the M Health Fairview Minnesota Immunization Networking Initiative (MINI), a program dedicated to delivering clinical care in trusted locations throughout the community.
MINI, a collaborative led by M Health Fairview and supported by more than 250 community partners, began in 2006 by offering free influenza vaccines. The program has expanded over the years to provide multiple preventative services via a mobile model including free dental fluoride varnish applications, outbreak response for COVID-19, Hepatitis A, and Mpox, hypertension education, blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings, nurse consultations, health education, opioid overdose prevention training, and naloxone kit distribution.
In spring 2025, the mobile clinics also began offering all recommended adult and pediatric vaccinations such as MMR, Tdap, and HPV to our neighbors and launched back-to-school vaccination clinics with multiple area schools. All services are offered free of charge to participants.
For her work as a community leader in providing equitable healthcare and better outcomes for people in our community, Johansen received the 2025 Women’s Health Leadership TRUST Award for Collaboration & Partnerships.
Built at the speed of trust
Community health doesn’t just happen in a hospital or clinic. In fact, 80% of a person’s health is determined by what happens outside a traditional healthcare setting. For that reason, the M Health Fairview MINI program has adopted an outward-focused, community-based model.
Johansen and her team connect with community partners to coordinate a clinic. The partner provides the space and promotion, and M Health Fairview provides the vaccines and clinical staff. The MINI team consistently engages with the community, hosting regular vaccination events at places people already gather and trust, such as the Mexican Consulate, local churches, mosques, libraries, schools, homeless shelters, and community centers.
“When working with community partners, we have the opportunity to learn from them what works best for their community in terms of access and information,” said Johansen. “Our goal is to listen, create connections with partners, and build trust so we can be the best partner possible.”
By being present and accessible in familiar spaces, Johansen and her team have become a visible, trusted presence integrated into the community. The team’s collaborative work style, creativity, and determination have helped them effectively work with other organizations. For example, they know that not one type of clinic fits all communities.
They focus on working with partners to design mobile clinic events for minority communities that face significant language, cultural, and economic barriers to healthcare access. Clinics are offered in trusted spaces and at off-hour times like evenings and weekends to serve busy families. Educational and consent materials are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
“Ingrid and her team are well known and respected throughout the community for their unwavering commitment to health and wellbeing,” said John Swanholm, vice president of Community Advancement. “The work they put into collaborations and partnerships is truly inspiring – the program started with a few partners and has grown to 250 and counting.”
Johansen devotes time connecting with public health agencies and local nonprofits by attending and participating in community clinics, speaking at industry conferences, and publishing articles in partnership with community organizations on the success of this model. Her collaborative approach has helped establish dozens of new partnerships and increased the number of free community vaccination clinics, averaging 400-500 clinics per year, a significant number more than any other healthcare system in the state.
More than 80% of clients served through the MINI program identify as African, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Asian American, Black or African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or Other. In addition, 42.8% of people served shared that English is not their preferred language. Finally, 26.5% of individuals vaccinated by MINI shared that they had no health insurance at the time of vaccination.
Unprecedented times
COVID-19 presented the MINI team with its most significant challenge to date. During the early days of the pandemic, so much about the disease was unknown, new developments moved quickly, and a rising tide of misinformation challenged healthcare providers. Racial disparities in morbidity and mortality were apparent early in the outbreak. Through the trusted relationships Johansen built in the MINI program, the team was able to pivot quickly to help community partners.
Early in the pandemic, they facilitated testing events and later established pop-up vaccination clinics for underserved populations in places where there may be language barriers and distrust with the medical community. In addition, the team continued to provide free yearly influenza vaccines to those who face barriers to care.
From January 2021 (start of COVID vaccinations) to April 2026, Johansen and her team hosted over 2,000 community COVID-19 clinics and administered nearly 70,000 free COVID-19 vaccine doses.
