Community Turns Soil on the Tubman Health Center in Rainier Beach 

Seattle, WA — Community members, elected officials, partners, and supporters gathered on June 5 in Rainier Beach for a soil-turning ceremony marking the start of construction on the Tubman Health Center, a 26,000-square-foot community-designed health facility years in the making. 

Located within walking distance of the Rainier Beach light rail station, the future site became a place of ceremony and reflection, honoring the collective effort that brought the project to this milestone. 

The Tubman Health Center will serve 12,000 primary care patients annually and reach more than 16,000 community members through community-building and wellness programming designed by and for the people it serves.  

Before construction begins, attendees gathered to reflect on what this moment represents—a self-determined future where marginalized communities are not only receiving trustworthy care, but generating knowledge, building power, and addressing the systems that determine wellbeing. 

Founding Board President and current Tubman Health patient Nacala Ayele set the tone with a libations ceremony to honor the ancestors—calling them into the space, acknowledging their sacrifices and dreams, and asking them to “help us remember how to build for eternity, as we are building for the now.” 

The program included a grounding practice in which participants placed their hands in the soil, taking a moment to connect with the land and reflect on what they hoped to root in the space—healing, care, and community wellbeing. 

Throughout the gathering, the atmosphere was both celebratory and reflective, marked by flowers, familiar faces, and a strong sense of arrival at a milestone shaped by years of organizing, advocacy, and partnership. 

The ceremony was attended by elected officials from the City of Seattle, King County, and the State of Washington, who were recognized for their support of the project. 

Community Ambassador and emcee Monisha Harrell closed the ceremony with remarks emphasizing collective commitment and continued progress toward resourcing the groundbreaking healthcare and community programs that will be offered at the Center.  

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

Photos from the ceremony are available for download here. All photos credited to Michael B. Maine.  

What the Tubman Health Center Will Offer 

The 26,000-square-foot Center will bring together allopathic and naturopathic primary care, behavioral health, and healing modalities under one roof—all in a space designed by community, for community. Building highlights include: 

• 8 healing suites, including family-size treatment rooms 

• 3 behavioral health suites 

• 8 massage and acupuncture treatment areas 

• Mammography and ultrasound suite 

• Meetings and Movement gathering space 

• Grab-and-go cafe and herbal apothecary 

• Hydrotherapy spa 

• Community gathering courtyard 

Construction is expected to be completed in Winter 2027. To learn more or support the Campaign for Health & Freedom, visit www.tubmanhealth.org. 

### 

About Tubman Health:  

The Tubman Center for Health & Freedom addresses health and wellness from both systemic and clinical approaches. By practicing medicine from the intersection of health and freedom, we address both the health of our patients as well as the factors that determine their health. Tubman Health provides primary and preventative care, community resources, social services, political education, and advocacy. Learn more about Tubman Health at www.tubmanhealth.org.