HFA Alternative Medicine Clinic

Clinic Director: Patricia Culliton
Assistant Director: Richard Printon

The Alternative Medicine Clinic of Hennepin Faculty Associates (HFA) opened in 1993 to give individuals in our community additional health care options within a hospital based structure. Part of HFA's Department of Medicine, our clinic was one of the first of its type in the nation to open within a western health care organization. We are also proud to be the first free-standing ambulatory alternative medicine clinic to be accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the first health care organization in the United States to train medical doctors in alternative medicine therapies during a two-year post doctoral fellowship program that was offered in the mid 1990s.

Clinical services at the Alternative medicine at HFA are provided by an integrated team of medical doctors in functional medicine and physiatry, non-physician licensed providers including holistic physical therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors and non-licensed providers such as energy workers and massage therapists. HFA has developed a credentialing process for all of the clinic providers.

The clinic has over 1,200 patient visits per month across the various therapies, with approximately 30% of them having been referred by their physicians. Residents from many departments of the Hennepin County Medical Center spend elective rotations at the clinic and we have developed educational experiences specific to internal medicine, psychiatry and family medicine residents. The Family Medicine Department at Hennepin is one of eight sites in the United States that have been chosen to participate in a five year grant to provide training in integrative medicine through the University of Arizonas education program in integrative medicine. The Alternative Medicine Clinic works closely with the Family Medicine Department residents during this innovative training experience.

The Alternative Medicine Clinic affiliated with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing in 2009. The affiliation allows each partner to continue their own operations while paving the way for important collaboration in the areas of education, research and integrated health programs. Integrated care models will be developed that leverage the strengths of conventional care and integrative health practices, allowing both partners to reach out to new audiences of patients, students and researchers.

The HFA Alternative Medicine Clinic is directed by Patricia Culliton, M.A., L.Ac., a nationally known acupuncturist and researcher who works closely with Medical Director Milton Bullock, MD, of the HFA Department of Medicine.