5 Reasons Home Health Care In Grand Rapids Michigan Is The Best
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ― Mother Teresa
Home health care exists throughout the country and the world. For as long as there have been people needing help there have been others that were willing to give it. Take for example Mother Theresa. She was one of the greatest examples of health care and service that this world has ever known. When asked how she was able to serve so many people she answered, “I started with one person. I saw a homeless, starving man on the streets of Calcutta and decided to help him.”
On Sunday, we had a guest speaker at our church. He gave us three principles to live by when looking to serve others. The one that stuck out to me was the last one which said, “Do for a few what you wish you could do for many.”
How true!
We have so many opportunities to bless and to serve others yet we find ourselves stuck in this state of “deer in the headlights” because we can’t make a “big enough” impact. What is the definition of big enough? If we make an impact on just one person isn’t that big enough?
I have grown up in Grand Rapids and believe that the culture of this great city has embodied this spirit of care for a few (and thereby affecting the lives of many).
So why is Home Health Care in Grand Rapids Michigan the best?
There are many reasons and also many ways of looking at something from the lens of “best”. What I will do below is outline my beliefs of why Grand Rapids Michigan is the best place to get home health care from a 30,000 foot view as well as a close-up magnified view.
Anyone that was born and raised with such favorites as the Griffin, the Grand River, and Marie Catrib’s (Mmmm… gotta try their fresh squeezed orange juice) will probably think the same way I do. So this article may be a bit biased but bare with me. I’m sure I’ll be able to convince you by the end that there is no better place for home care than Grand Rapids. 😉
5 Reasons Home Health Care In Grand Rapids Michigan Is The Epitome of Care
1. Grand Rapids Has the Highest Quality of Nurses and Caregivers
“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” Og Mandino
There are currently 57 accredited nursing schools in Michigan and many of them reside in Grand Rapids. Nursing programs in Grand Rapids have baccalaureate degrees, associate degrees, and certificate programs. I can’t list all them but a few of them include: Calvin College, Davenport, and Grand Valley State University (The school I graduated from! Go Lakers!).
The nursing field is not the only field that is strong and active in the Grand Rapids community. There are many CENA certification programs that also add to the pool of quality care givers. Here are a few of them:
1. Walker Medical Instructional Services
2. Stepping Stones Educational System
So why is this important for home health care? Education is critically important for any caregiver, whether that be a nurse or a CNA, in the home health care field because we are often the only one that is working with a client at a certain time. It is true that in the home health industry there is always a strong support network behind the caregiver. However, caregivers that are on the “front lines” need to be knowledgeable about the many facets of care.
2. Grand Rapids has the “Medical Mile”
“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” – Stephen R. Covey
Grand Rapid’s Medical mile is a stretch of area in the Hillside District of GR. It is also called the Grand Rapids Medical Corridor, Michigan Street Medical Corridor, Health Hill and Medical Hill.
It was started in 1996 when the Van Andel Institute was founded and has since expanded to include: Grand Rapids Community College‘s Calkins Science Center across Bostwick Avenue, Spectrum Health‘s Butterworth Hospital complex, Grand Valley State University‘s Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, and Michigan State University Secchia Center Medical School, among other facilities in the area.
Why is this important for home health care?
When a city invests in health care, whether that be primary, secondary or tertiary it creates a major asset that all of its citizens can draw upon if needed.
Home health care is not an isolated industry. Individuals that are receiving care in their own home may need to draw upon the resources that the area has to offer. Grand Rapids is pouring millions of millions of dollars into research and development of new medications and procedures to improve the care and livelihood of those that need it.
3. Grand Rapids has an Amazing Caregiver Network
“No man is an island, Entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main.” – John Donne
As the quote so accurately states, “No man is an island.” Grand Rapids has one of the largest home health aide/caregiver networks around. It is run by the Caregiver Resource Network and has many, many benefits including:
- Continue their education
- Take part in caregiver events
- Join caregiver support groups
- Learn from expert caregiver speakers
- Even listen to a Caregiver Radio!
Being a caregiver is challenging. I was a caregiver for over seven years and still find myself out in the field a couple times a week. The company that a caregiver works for can offer some support but there is nothing more powerful than a group of people that are all meeting for a certain cause. I remember the time when I went down to serve the citizens of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit. I was blown away at how I instantly gained a deep relationship with the people that were there. Its like we had known each other all of our lives.
That’s the power of community. That’s the power of a strong network. Grand Rapids has one of the best.
4. Grand Rapids has a Strong Financial Support Structure
“I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” – Mae West
I have lived in Grand Rapids almost all of my life and one thing has stood out to me so clearly and has often brought tears to my eyes. Grand Rapids is filled with individuals that have been blessed with wealth AND choose to give that wealth back to the community. A few months back I finished up my Masters in Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management. Our philanthropy instructor told us that Grand Rapids was one of the “most giving” cities in the U.S.
We have several foundations including the Grand Rapids Community Foundation that works toward raising support for the needs of the citizens of Grand Rapids. We also have individuals/families with a large net worth (Devos, Van Andel, Meijer) that regularly donate huge resources to organizations in Grand Rapids.
Why is this important for home health care?
This is extremely important for home health care. A community is essentially a combination of its citizens. When individuals (not only the wealthy) invest back into the community, everyone thrives. People look out for and support each other. Their is an ambiance of “care” in the air. When cities don’t invest back into the community (Detroit may be picked on here although it is turning around) it debilitates its citizens. People take on the philosophy of “me 1st” instead of “you 1st”. That’s why having people invest in the community, financial resources and other resources, is so important.
5. Grand Rapids has Great Community Engagement
“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” – Michael Jordan
Throughout my many years as a caregiver I have often taken clients out to community events. Its a great opportunity to get out of the house and see what’s going on downtown. Grand Rapids has something for everyone whether you are young or old. GRNow.com is a great place to start and below is a list of some of the more extravagent happenings in Grand Rapids that you could take your clients to:
- Art Prize
- Laugh Fest
- Van Andel Arena
- Blues On The Mall
- Meijer Gardens
- And so much more…
If you still don’t believe me that Grand Rapids has one of the greatest community engagements, check this video out!
Why Do I Believe Grand Rapids Has The Best Home Health Care?
There are many other reasons that I believe Grand Rapids has the best home health care around. These include:
- Grand Rapids Pushes the Barriers of the Possible with Therapeutic Riding and Wake Boarding for people with Closed Head & Spinal Cord Injuries
- Invests in the Health of Its Citizens with events like the 5/3 River Bank Run and the Color Run (obviously some clients can’t participate in these activities but they can certainly watch
- Incredible Spiritual Wellbeing – In the Greater Grand Rapids area there are over 700 churches. Clients have the opportunity to practice there faith no matter what the denomination.
- Strong Advocate Groups such as CPAN and the West Michigan Brain Injury Association.
There are so many more benefits to receiving home health care in Grand Rapids. The list above is not exhaustive and I could share my thoughts all day long. The quality of care that you receive is totally contingent upon the providers giving you care. This great city has invested in health care and the fruit of those investments is going strong.
-Todd