12 years of growth
Catherine’s Care Center opened its doors on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 1996, in vacated space at the lower level of St. Alphonsus Church.
Launching the center was the culmination of years of effort by a small group of neighborhood activists. In the early 1990s, it had become difficult to find a primary care physician in the Creston or Belknap neighborhoods who was accepting new patients. A change was needed, and Catherine’s stepped in to fill the void.
Over the years, Catherine’s has enjoyed remarkable growth. Today it operates at capacity, serving about 350 patients per month in its cramped quarters. John Walen, M.D., is responsible for much of the growth. In 2000, he scaled back private practice as a primary care physician to volunteer at the center two days a week. Karen Kaashoek, a registered nurse, manages the center full-time and keeps an agenda filled with health-oriented programs and activities.
Initially, Catherine’s was a collaborative venture of the Creston and Belknap Neighborhood Associations, St. Mary’s Health Services and St. Alphonsus Parish.
The governing structure was streamlined in the summer of 2005 when Catherine’s incorporated independently as a non-profit entity under Michigan law, and the former advisory board became the board of directors. Less formal, but equally cooperative relationships continued with St. Alphonsus Parish, St. Mary’s Health Care and all the other major hospitals in the area, as well as with the neighborhood associations, churches and other groups.
