Cherry Health is an independent, non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that was incorporated in 1988. Its predecessor organization, Neighborhood Health Services provided health care for low income people in Grand Rapids in the early 1970s. In an effort to strengthen Neighborhood Health Services, Cherry Street Health Services was created through reorganization and restructuring. A Blue Ribbon Committee explored ways to address the problem of primary health care access for low income people and minority populations in the Grand Rapids area. Cherry Street Health Services operated a single facility at 550 Cherry Street for several years, offering medical and dental services. In 1994-1995, Cherry Street opens its first school-based health center - Burton Health Center - and renovated the current Westside Health Center building. Successive years brought the acquisition of Grand Rapids Pediatrics, one of Grand Rapids' premier pediatric practices, a collaborative health center with the Salvation Army, and three more school-based health centers at Union, Creston and Ottawa Hills High Schools. Since the mid-nineties, Cherry Health has operated programs in several Grand Rapids Public Schools for vision and dental screening, health education and referrals for follow-up care. These programs have expanded and are currently offered in 70 schools in the cities of Grand Rapids, Cedar Springs, Kentwood and Wyoming.
In 2011, Cherry Health merged with Touchstone Innovare (the county's largest provider of mental health services for adults) and Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance (an array of services that assists individuals with addiction and recovery issues with rebuilding their lives). With the merger of the three organizations, Cherry Health absorbed services addressing behavioral health, mental health and correctional health.
Today, Cherry Health is the largest FQHC in Michigan, growing steady over the past two decades, opening a new site, on average, every two years. It serves Barry, Eaton, Kent, Montcalm Muskegon and Wayne counties at more than 20 locations, employs over 800 employees, and has a network of over 60 physicians and mid-level providers offering comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and behavioral health services to more than 70,000 patients per year. Today, patients have access to family medicine, adult internal medicine, women's health and OB/GYN services, pediatric care, comprehensive dental and vision care, substance use treatment and counseling, psychiatric care, pharmacy and case management services and employee asssistance for employers. Cherry Health also operates a world renowned integrated primary and behavioral care clinic.
Cherry Health is a leader among community health centers, both in Michigan and nationally. The organization has been awarded numerous competitive national grants for both services and research for advanced work in the reduction of health disparities, improving chronic illness outcomes, smoking cessation, and translating pediatric asthma research findings into effective front line delivery. Among the partners in these efforts are the National Institutes of Mental Health, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, George Washington University, and General Electric Foundation. Cherry Health was highlighted in a 2012 USA Today/Kaiser Health News report as outperforming national averages in five of six areas of quality of care measures.
Cherry Health's primary focus is to provide quality care to those who cannot access health care through other providers and need a health care home. Cherry Health provides services to all individuals, and a sliding fee payment scale based on income and family size is available to those without insurance. Medicaid and Healthy Michigan are accepted, as are many other insurances.
Our Mission: Cherry Health improves the health and wellness of individuals by providing comprehensive primary and behavioral health care while encouraging access by those who are underserved.
