The Lac Courte Oreilles Community Health Center is the first phase of a new wellness campus on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation. The facility is designed with individual department suites— medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, community health, lab, imaging, chiropractic, urgent care and administration — radiating out from a central lobby and waiting area. The design was developed through several meetings with the department heads to determine space programming needs, review department functions, patient flow, and other details to ensure the facility would function well for each unit and as a whole.

The Tribe wanted a facility that would meet the current needs for both tribal and non-tribal patients, and also the ability to expand in the future. The building and site layout allow for additions to most departments around the perimeter. Several sustainable building and energy efficient strategies were also incorporated including energy-efficient lighting, low-VOC flooring, radiant-floor heating, and exterior precast concrete architectural panels for longevity and easier maintenance.

Incorporation of indigenous healing elements was a priority in the aesthetics of the design. The lobby and public spaces feature materials and details representing earth, water and fire with birch bark, stone, and healing plants. Symbolic representations of a dream catcher and the medicine man were also represented in the shapes and configuration of the design. The centerpiece of the clinic is the medicine wheel skylight. The medicine wheel is a sacred symbol to the Ojibwe (Chippewa) people, representing life, health, and healing.