GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Twice a week, a two-person Catherine’s Health Center team fires up a conversion van outfitted with an exam table, sink and medical supplies, and head out to provide on-the-spot care to Grand Rapids’ homeless population.

Their rounds take them to shelters, the library, the Grand Rapids Pride Center and other places unhoused people gather. Once parked, the St. Catherine’s physician and medical assistant open the doors, providing a lifeline for residents who need non-emergency healthcare but aren’t comfortable walking into a clinic.

“Healthcare is complicated,” said Mark Contreras, the chief medical officer at Catherine’s Health Center, which cares for underserved populations in Kent County. “Our patients don’t have to think about a scheduled appointment” or “how they are

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