Somerset County faced a problem that most employers know well: rising healthcare costs with no clear way out. Traditional insurance premiums were climbing, and the County needed a better option for its employees and their families. Integrity Health offered one – a direct employer-sponsored primary care model where the County funds the clinic directly, eliminating the middleman and the overhead that comes with it. The concept was proven, but finding the right space to make it real was the next challenge.

SSP was already deep in the design of the 100,000 SF mixed-use building at the center of this project, working as part of DeSapio Management’s design team.

When the ground-floor space was selected for the clinic, SSP took on the full design scope: from schematic design through construction administration and regulatory approvals, working directly with Integrity Health and Somerset County to translate a complex medical program into a functional, code-compliant fit-out. The 8,000 SF space needed to house primary care, a procedure room, X-ray, physical therapy, behavioral health, and a pharmacy – all within a footprint originally designed for commercial use.

The biggest design challenge wasn’t the program itself, it was the entry. Patients access the clinic from the rear parking lot, not the building’s main street frontage. SSP turned that constraint into an opportunity, designing a space that feels welcoming from the moment patients walk in from the back. The result is a bright, organized clinic that delivers a wide range of services under one roof and gives Somerset County a cost-effective, long-term alternative to conventional health coverage.