Corktown Health expands into Hazel Park

HAZEL PARK — A new health care facility is planned for Hazel Park, one that will specialize in services for the LGBTQ+ community.

Corktown Health currently operates a clinic at 1726 Howard Street in Detroit, and is now in the design phase for its second location, which will open in Hazel Park in late 2024 or early 2025.

The Hazel Park location will be at 24310 John R Road between Woodward Heights Boulevard and Interstate 696. The property was previously a lumberyard and later Cellarmen’s, which made ciders and meads.

It has been largely vacant since 2019 and will undergo a full-scale renovation as part of its transformation into the clinic, which will be named Corktown Health @Hazel Park. The building will span 19,000 square feet. When it opens, it will offer a range of services including medical, dental, behavioral health, and wellness and support services, as well as an accessible community space. Corktown Health has hired Albert Kahn Associates to design its state-of-the-art facility.

The first clinic opened in Detroit in 2017. Corktown Health is a licensed nonprofit that was founded in 1986 under the name Health Emergency Lifeline Programs, or HELP, with a focus on HIV prevention, care and support.

When the clinic opened in 2017, the organization rebranded itself as Corktown Health, and expanded its medical services with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community. The organization has multiple streams of funding between federal, state and local grants, along with donations from foundations and individuals, and reimbursable services. State Rep. Mike McFall, D-Hazel Park, representing District 8, helped secure a $2 million state grant for Corktown Health.

Mike Flores, the chief financial officer for Corktown Health, said that his organization currently reaches more than 3,000 people each year, administering primary care, geriatric medicine, HIV care, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, vaccines, fitness and nutrition programs, tobacco cessation, housing and financial assistance, and dental services.

He noted that more than half of Corktown Health’s current patients identify as LGBTQ+.

“There are gaps in access to affirming primary care for LGBTQ+ folks and other marginalized communities in southern Oakland County and surrounding areas,” Flores said via email. “COVID-19 revealed and exacerbated health disparities that were already pervasive in states and communities across the country.”

He said those most impacted by the pandemic include lower-income people, racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, older adults, and people with preexisting medical and/or mental health conditions.

Hazel Park City Councilman Andy LeCureaux said the clinic will be a great addition to the city.

“One big thing it does is help add to the walkability of Hazel Park, where we have clinics right near the neighborhoods,” LeCureaux said. “It’s just great to have such a large piece of property being reused and no longer vacant. It was sad to see Cellarmen’s go, but it’s great to have a health clinic that can serve the citizens here and in other communities. Hopefully it will spur more development in the area, too. It’s another example of businesses finding spaces here and making different use of it.”