“We are here to serve people and we are eager to open up so that everyone has access to affordable health care,” added Muhammad. “No matter where they’re from, no matter their income, insurance, lack of insurance, we know the need is there.”

The clinic, which could open this fall, has been designed to provide basic dental care, health care and some behavioral health care.

The clinic will provide at-risk or underserved community members a place to go instead of going to the emergency room, which sometimes happens when people don’t have the resources to see a doctor in private practice.

The clinic has two rooms for dental care, four examination rooms for health care and two rooms for behavioral health care. It should have a sliding scale pricing structure, and they will charge for Medicaid, Medicare, and third-party private insurance.

Thus, depending on a person’s eligibility, the service may be free or it may be offered at a significantly reduced cost.

The governor’s announcement received an enthusiastic reception from the members of Racine’s municipal council in attendance.

Alderman John Tate II, chairman of the city council, noted that the pandemic exposed disparities that already existed in some neighborhoods in Racine that had yet to recover from the loss of manufacturing jobs and previous recessions.