The university has partnered with Health Net of West Michigan, HealthBar, and Ottawa Pathways to Better Health to give students access to primary and urgent care services.
Grand Valley State University has formed partnerships with three healthcare organizations to expand student access to primary healthcare and urgent care services. The partnerships with Health Net of West Michigan and HealthBar come via grant awards, and Ottawa Pathways to Better Health is a service of the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. Students will have access to these services through the Campus Health Center on the university’s Allendale campus.
According to an article on Grand Valley State University’s website, Jenny Hall-Jones, who serves as the university’s vice president for Student Affairs, was quoted as saying of the partnerships, “Our partnerships with Ottawa Pathways to Better Health, Health Net and HealthBar allow us to deliver care in a way that reflects the realities students face today. By combining in-person services, telehealth access and resource navigation, we’re creating a system that supports our students’ holistic well-being.”
The partnership with Health Net of West Michigan will provide students, faculty, and staff members with care management services. Individuals will fill out a questionnaire that a Health Net of West Michigan resource navigator will review and use to connect people with the type of care they could most benefit from, including for both physical health and mental health needs. A resource navigator will soon begin to work onsite at the Campus Health Center, further increasing access to health care assistance for university students, faculty, and staff.
HealthBar will provide the on-campus primary and preventative care services at the Campus Health Center, for mental and behavioral health, physical health, and injuries. HealthBar also provides telehealth services from 7am to 9pm every day, and turning the telehealth services into a 24/7 operation is currently being explored by the university and HealthBar.
In order to help students, faculty, and staff better navigate their needs and options for assistance, Ottawa Pathways to Better Health is available to provide individuals with on-campus Community Health Workers to help them find food assistance, housing and utility support, job applications, insurance applications, and help them navigate health and human services systems.
For more information about Grand Valley State University, visit the school’s website.