Tag Archives: Catherine’s Health Center

Mel Trotter Ministries partners with Catherine’s Health Center to expand clinic services to shelter guests

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Catherine’s Health Center CEO Megan Erskine (left) shaking hands with Mel Trotter CEO Chris Palusky celebrating the joint partnership to operate a full-service medical clinic at Mel Trotter Ministries (Courtesy, Mel Trotter Ministries)


By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Mel Trotter Ministries, the largest provider of services to people experiencing homelessness in West Michigan, announced an expansion of its partnership with Catherine’s Health Center. This expansion will result in increased health clinic services for guests staying at Mel Trotter’s shelter at 225 Commerce SW in Grand Rapids.

Catherine’s is now offering full-time medical care at Mel Trotter Ministries. This new partnership will provide 40 hours per week of comprehensive primary care services to guests, with plans to expand access to the broader Heartside community by early 2026.

Mishel Pollard of Catherine’s Health Center standing in the hallway at the full-service medical clinic (Courtesy, Mel Trotter Ministries)

The clinic will serve as a “medical home” for individuals experiencing homelessness, offering walk-in appointments and a full spectrum of services including substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), immunizations, screenings, well-child visits, diagnostic lab services, chronic disease management, and referrals to specialty care.

Additional care

In addition to primary care, Catherine’s will provide:

  • 16 hours per week of dental hygiene services
  • 4 hours per week of psychiatric care
  • 40 hours per week of case management support

The entrance to the full-service clinic at Mel Trotter Ministries (Courtesy, Mel Trotter Ministries)

Bringing integrated services to the community

“We are grateful to Mel Trotter Ministries and their generous partners and donors for laying the foundation for this model of care,” said Megan Erskine, CEO at Catherine’s Health Center. “Their commitment over the past four years…has made it possible for us to expand our place-based care model and bring full-time, integrated services to this community.”

Catherine’s Health Center staff working in the full-service medical clinic. Left to right: Ollie Irwin, Mishel Pollard, Bettie DeChemin (Courtesy, Mel Trotter Ministries)

Catherine’s has spent the last three years delivering healthcare directly to the unhoused in shelters, churches and encampments. The new clinic represents the next evolution of this work, complemented by a mobile medical van that will continue to provide outreach and services across the region.

“We’re extremely pleased to expand our relationship with Catherine’s Health Center so that we can deliver the best possible care to our guests,” said Chris Palusky, CEO at Mel Trotter Ministries.

“When our renovated clinic space opened two years ago, it was our goal to provide services that healed the body and the spirit of those in need of assistance. This new service agreement will help us do that by bringing a more complete spectrum of care for anyone coming to our shelter.”

Tammy Morgan of Catherine’s Health Center working in an exam room at the full-service medical clinic (Courtesy, Mel Trotter Ministries)

The initiative goal is to provide personalized and dignified care to guests while reducing non-urgent emergency department visits and unnecessary hospitalizations. Ultimately, leaders at Mel Trotter Ministries and Catherine’s Health Center believe that improved physical and mental health outcomes will enhance housing opportunities and stability for individuals trapped in the cycle of homelessness.

Stay tuned!

The clinic expects to open its doors to anyone experiencing homelessness starting in October. An open house at the clinic is planned for Oct. 22.

To view Catherine’s Health Center upcoming events, click here.

Catherine’s Health Center is looking for a few, good women for WISEWOMAN Program

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Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

By WKTV Staff


Catherine’s Health Center is looking for 200 women eager to work with a health coach and engage in programs that will support you in reaching your goals!


WISEWOMAN provides opportunities and programming that empower Michigan women to make healthy lifestyle choices.


The local WISEWOMAN Agency team is made up of clinical staff and a health coach. Women ready to change can receive:

  • One-on-one health coaching from a WISEWOMAN Health Coach
  • Free membership to a weight loss program or a diabetes prevention program
  • Free gardening supplies and education through the WISEWOMAN Entrepreneurial Gardening program
  • Referrals to programs in the community to help her make healthy lifestyle behavior changes

To be in WISEWOMAN, a woman must first receive cancer prevention screening or patient navigation services from the Michigan Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Navigation Program (BCCCNP).

Program focus areas

The Michigan WISEWOMAN program has three main focus areas related to participants.

  1. Identify and communicate risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. The woman is better able to decide where she wants to take small steps if she understands her risk factors.
  2. Encourage healthy lifestyle choices. Health Coaches work with each woman to make lifestyle behavior changes that will help with the risk factors and symptoms she has now. Making healthy choices may also keep her from developing any new risk factors.
  3. Address Health Equity and Social Justice in the community

Local WISEWOMAN agencies address health equity by identifying underserved groups in their service areas and getting them into WISEWOMAN. The underserved groups may include:

Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Women with disabilities
  • Women who do not speak English
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) women
  • Racial or ethnic minority women
  • Women whose citizenship or immigration status is not settled

Once in the program, many women find it difficult to think about making healthy lifestyle choices when they are having trouble paying rent, utilities, or buying food for their families. These are social justice issues. Michigan WISEWOMAN addresses these issues through special projects that provide participants with opportunities to earn extra money while learning marketable skills.

Eligibility:

  • Ages 40-64 years
  • Reduced income (ask staff)
  • A desire to set a health goal and work towards reducing your unique risk factors that could cause long-term health problems

Contact: Maria or Katie at (616) 336-8800 ext. 207


Catherine’s Health Center receives $20,000 grant from CVS Health Foundation

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By WKTV Staff

 

The CVS Health Foundation — a private charitable organization created by CVS Health — in partnership with the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) has awarded a total of $30,000 in grants to Catherine’s Health Center (CHC) and Holland Free Health Clinic to help patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases, manage and fully understand their conditions.

 

The CVS Health Foundation recently extended its commitment to the NAFC with $1 million in new grants. The Michigan clinics are two of 49 free clinics across the country receiving funding as part of the Foundation’s ongoing effort to make quality healthcare convenient and affordable for more Americans.

 

“The rising cost of healthcare can make finding quality and affordable care harder to come by for many Americans,” said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation. “Through our support of the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, we’re able to increase access to quality care, improve chronic disease management and care coordination to help improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable patients and reduce health care costs in the communities we serve.”

 

Its $20,000 grant will allow Catherine’s Health Center in Grand Rapids to fund Partners in Health, a program that will support patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension with tools that will help them achieve better health outcomes. Patients learn the risks of their disease and participate in the development and coordination of their plan of care. Participants may also receive resources such as scales, home blood pressure and blood sugar monitors and needed medications, as well as connect with medical professionals to provide care and support.

 

“We have patients who haven’t had access to healthcare for a long time and come to us with very complex issues and multiple diseases,” said Karen Kaashoek, Executive Director of Catherine’s Health Center. “The grant will support the role of RN Care Manager to coordinate care before, during and after their visit, maximizing our provider time and empowering patients to take control of their health.”

 

Holland Free Health Clinic (HFHC) will utilize its $10,000 grant to support the clinic’s Diabetic Support & Education program, which is designed to equip patients with the knowledge and tools they need to live healthy lives.

 

The new funds bring the Foundation’s total contribution to NAFC to more than $4.5 million since 2015. To date, CVS Health and its Foundation has contributed nearly $300,000 in grants, event sponsorships, foundation scholarships, gift cards and product donations, among other initiatives and items, to nonprofits in the state of Michigan that align with the company’s purpose of helping people on their path to better health.

 

For more information on how the Free and Charitable Clinics will be utilizing their grants to improve community health, please visit www.cvshealth.com/NAFC.

 

Catherine’s Health Center: Quality care — with compassion

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Marilyn discusses her health with registered nurse Linda Lanning at a recent appointment

By Ron Rozema, Catherine’s Health Center

 

Life handed Marilyn a set of hard blows when her husband died unexpectedly; her cleaning and phone-answering businesses were foreclosed by the IRS in the aftermath of his death, and she had spinal surgery — all within a year. She had no insurance and needed Catherine’s for her medical care, including medications.

 

Insurance premiums and the cost of medications still are out of reach, although she now is exploring Medicare coverage.

 

Ten years ago, a friend who also is a patient encouraged her to try Catherine’s. A long history of high blood pressure unresponsive to treatment, other health complications and a lack of insurance meant she needed care she couldn’t get elsewhere.

 

“Dr. Jack (Walen) immediately sent me to the emergency room because my blood pressure was so high. He’s the only one who has helped me keep it down,” she said.

 

Although she is thrilled with the medical care and improvement she has seen, it is the way she is treated that really touches her heart.

 

“Candy at the desk is my friend now, the nurses make your heart happy, and the fellowship is just wonderful!” Marilyn said. “If you didn’t know it, you would have no clue that you didn’t have insurance.

 

“I’m getting the best health care of my life,” Marilyn said, smiling.

 

Catherine’s Health Center gets $35,000 grant from CVS Health Foundation

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At Catherine’s Health Center

By Mary Alfieri

 

The CVS Health Foundation has awarded Catherine’s Health Center $35,000 to support chronic disease management and prevention for diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and asthma, improved care coordination and increased access to care programs.

 

As the need for access to affordable care and improved health outcomes continue to weigh on the U.S. health care system, the CVS Health Foundation is providing grants, ranging from $20,000 to $35,000 this year.

 

In all, 33 free and charitable clinics nationwide are receiving more than $1 million in grants from the CVS Health Foundation as part of a multi-year grant program with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC). Over the past four years, the Foundation has donated nearly $5 million to NAFC to increase access to quality care and support the management of chronic disease.

 

For more information on how the Free and Charitable Clinics will be utilizing their grants to improve community health, please go here.

 

About Catherine’s Health Center
Established in 1996, Catherine’s Health Center is a 501(c)(3) safety net medical clinic serving more than 6,000 patients annually. Using a small core of paid staff and many dedicated volunteers, Catherine’s mission is to provide free or low-cost medical services to low-income, uninsured, underinsured and newly insured residents of Kent County. Support for the mission is provided by generous friends who share our belief that access to health care should be provided for all people, businesses, foundations, religious groups and others. Catherine’s Health Center does not discriminate; services are available to the broader community. Learn more at www.catherineshc.org.

About the CVS Health Foundation
The CVS Health Foundation is a private charitable organization created by CVS Health that works to build healthier communities, enabling people of all ages to lead healthy, productive lives. The Foundation provides strategic investments to nonprofit partners throughout the U.S. who help increase community-based access to health care for underserved populations, create innovative approaches to chronic disease management and provide tobacco cessation and youth prevention programming. To learn more about the CVS Health Foundation and its giving, go here.

Angel on a pin: Catherine’s Health Center helps Kentwood native become pain-free

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By Ron Rozema, Catherine’s Health Center

 

“I’m an angel person,” said Sharon Esterley when asked about the pin she wore. It featured the image of an angel centered in a heart. “I really believe in angels and I have lots of them in my life looking after me. Some are from my church, some from Catherine’s [Health Center], and there are lots more.”

 

For the past three years or so, Esterley has relied on Catherine’s for her primary medical care.

 

“Dr. Jack first and now Dr. Jon, they’re great!” she enthused, adding that she’s had good experiences with everyone she’s met at the Center.

 

Esterley’s life story starts and stays in the Grand Rapids area. Raised in Kentwood, she worked for 32 years as a nurses’ aid. When her parents needed help, she left that job to become their caregiver, an arrangement that lasted for nine years until they both passed away. It was during that time she lacked any health care coverage and, through the urging of a friend, began to get her health care through Catherine’s.

 

In addition to her medical care, she got medication through Catherine’s Medication Assistance Program, attended diabetes management classes, participated in the Community Walking Program and more. While arthritis and a pre-diabetic condition were focal points of her care, she was essentially healthy and able to return to paid employment. Around age 59 and thinking it was time to try something different after years of paid and family caregiving, Esterley took work as a custodian with Goodwill Industries.

 

Sharon Esterley

Things seemed to be going well when, in 2014, a spontaneous, non-work-related fall at her work setting left her with unbearable pain in her left leg. Esterley’s care at Catherine’s included physical therapy after the injury. When it did not bring relief, she was referred to Mary Free Bed. Using a walker, not sleeping at night, generally feeling miserable and unable to do the tasks required for work, her pain and distress just didn’t subside.

 

Looking for a new option, she was seen by Dr. Jon Reitzenstein not long after he arrived at Catherine’s. Trained in acupuncture, the doctor believed some relief was possible through the administration of auriculotherapy — simply put, treatments involving key points in the outer ear that, when stimulated, provide relief from pain. Esterley was willing, and, just as Dr. Reitzenstein expected, it worked!

 

After only two treatments she noticed a substantial reduction in her pain. Now, after seven treatments, Esterley says the pain is mostly gone, her walker has been replaced with a cane and she is sleeping again. She uses no medication to manage her pain and the acupuncture treatments are being reduced in frequency.

 

“I haven’t taken a sleeping pill in six weeks,” she said, “and I’m sleeping!”

 

“People at Catherine’s have really helped,” Esterley continued. “Since I had no insurance, I worked with one of the navigators” (trained volunteers who provide objective information on insurance options and help people access information and applications). “They helped me and now I’ll have Medicaid coverage.”

 

When Esterley is even more fully recovered she looks forward to volunteering, perhaps in a caregiver or support role.

 

“I have so many angels in my life, I hope I’m an angel for others too,” she beamed.

 

Located at 1211 Lafayette Ave. NW in Grand Rapids, Mich., Catherine’s Health Center offers primary medical care to people who meet certain income guidelines. Go here for more information.