Officials at Grand Valley State University are celebrating a new partnership between the university and local health provider Trinity Health Medical Group that will involve various health services for the campus community.

GVSU has had a partnership with the Trinity Health before, but recently the university decided to expand that partnership and name Trinity Medical Group as the new service provider for its Campus Health Center where students go for health concerns.

“Every time Trinity Health opens a new site, we hold an open house,” said Campus Health Center Manager Leslie Dontie.

On Sept. 27, an open house event was held to celebrate the new partnership between Trinity Health and GVSU.

The open house allowed university leaders to strike an optimistic tone to begin the emerging partnership, and to set the stage for collaboration between staff and students. Many Trinity Health and GVSU leaders were in attendence.

“We invite the community to come in and see the new facility, the staff of Grand Valley, President Philomena, senior leadership from Trinity Health, Kristen Woods,” Dontje said.

This collaboration between GVSU and Trinity Health, Dontie said, is a novel occurrence for Trinity Health.

“This is something that’s brand new to Trinity Health as far as partnering with the university,” Dontje said.

The university previously partnered with Metro Health but decided Trinity Health was the new direction that was needed for the students and staff at GVSU.

The leaders of both organizations have been meeting for months to make sure everything goes smoothly as the partnership progresses.

“I’ve been meeting with Kate Harmon and Edward Jones and really trying to collaborate to learn the wants and the needs of the campus for the students, staff and faculty and trying to learn what types of visits and health care we’ll be providing,” Dontie said.

Dontje said the partnership is centered around putting the campus community at the forefront of health considerations.

“We’re going to be exploring and learning more about the community and that aspect, so we can better serve everyone,” Dontje said.

When it comes to the Campus Health Center, Dontie said, health officials involved with its operation will be “functioning as a primary care office, even though we’re tailoring our services towards the campus, so we’ll still be able to offer a wide variety of any type of medicine.”

Under Trinity Health, officials have sought to show students that the Campus Health Center as just like normal doctors’ offices.

“Anything you would go to your primary care for – whether it be a physical, sore throat (or) sutures – we’ll be able to offer primary care and even collaborate with the sports medicine team if need be,” Dontje said.

The Campus Health Center is located next to the Campus View Apartments, at the southwest corner of GVSU’s Allendale campus.