A new beacon of health and wellness has begun shining in the Boston Square Neighborhood as the doors of Corewell Health’s latest clinic swing wide open. In a ribbon-cutting celebration reported by FOX 17, the Center for Wellness at 1534 Kalamazoo Ave. SE now promises access to a swath of medical services including primary care for all ages and genders, a pantry offering food and clothing, free health classes, and even a Narcan vending machine for the community.
Under the roof of HUB 07, billed as a hub of Hope, Unite, and Build, the health clinic joins an expected roster of 15 businesses and organizations. It lies within a zip code where residents statistically live nine years fewer than those in neighboring East Grand Rapids, a stark disparity that Corewell Health aims to tackle. "The people who live in this community, in the 49507 zip code, are actually having nine years less life expectancy than the East Grand Rapids zip code,", Malissa Becksvoort, director of operations for Corewell Health pointed out in her statement to WOOD TV.
Quiana Scott-Ruffin, a primary care nurse at the new facility and Boston Square native brings not only her skills but also a deep, personal commitment to the area. "It's not just a new building or a new role for me. It's an opportunity for me to make a difference in a place that I've called home and a place that's helped raise me and nurture me," she told FOX 17, embodying the clinic’s community-focused ethos.
Beyond healthcare, the clinic boasts a broader mission extending into education and preventative services. "We’ll have women’s health, lifestyle medicine, which we’ll do cooking classes for the community. Our department of healthier communities will be doing education classes such as CPR and breast feeding and fatherhood classes," Becksvoort shared in a report by WGVU News. The opening marks the beginning of an influx, of organizations into HUB 07, which will provide resources ranging from early child care to job fair events aimed at bolstering the community's fabric.
