Cherry Health is a non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with a focus on providing high quality health services to all, regardless of their ability to pay. Services provided by Cherry Health include primary care, womens health, pediatrics, dental, vision, behavioral health, five school-based health centers providing vision, dental and behavioral health services and employee assistance for employers. Cherry Health provides services to all individuals, and a sliding fee payment scale based on income and family size is available to those with or without insurance. Medicaid and Healthy Michigan are accepted, as are many other insurance plans.

Established in 1988, Cherry Health is the largest FQHC in the State of Michigan serving six counties. Cherry Health has approximately 800 employees and a network of over 70 physicians and advanced practice providers specializing in primary care/family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, optometry, oral health, behavioral health and psychiatry. Additionally, Cherry Health runs a school linked program active in 70 public schools offering both vision and dental care.

Cherry Healthcomplies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, gender identity orsexual orientation. Cherry Healthdoes not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.

CTC East and West provide a safe, structured, supervised environment, as well as employment counseling, job placement, and financial management assistance for citizens who are reentering the community following incarceration.

In an effort to strengthen Neighborhood Health Services, Cherry Street Health Services was created in 1988. It operated a single facility at 550 Cherry Street for several years, offering medical and dental services.

CAP assists residents with rebuilding their ties to the community and successful connection to community resources and support including family reintegration, health and human services, church and employment.

Cherry Health opened its first school based health center, which is program coordinated by Cherry Health, Grand Rapids Public Schools and Spectrum Health in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Southside Health Center provides medication assisted treatment, whichis the use of medications, in combination with counseling and psychosocial therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders.

With the merger of Cherry Street Health Services, Touchstone Innovare, and Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance, Cherry Street Health Services absorbed behavioral health, mental health and correctional health services.

This location has administration, adult internal medicine, counseling, dental, Durham Clinic, Grand Rapids Lions Club Vision Clinic, health insurance enrollment, Maple Health Home, pediatrics, pharmacy, and research.

Creston High School Health Center moved to Innovation Central High School Health Center serving all students ages 10 to 21. The teens and young adults do not have to attend Grand Rapids Public Schools.

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Mich., Tasha Blackmon is a dynamic, collaborative leader, mentor and coach who brings more than 20 years of business operations experience to her role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Michigans largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Cherry Health provides integrated health care services to over 55,000 patients in Barry, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Ottawa and Wayne counties.

During her 16 years with Cherry Health, Blackmon has championed health justice through aggressively disrupting healthcare disparities. Her experience comes from an operational perspective, having established high standards of care utilizing a health equity lens to treat an individuals health needs holistically, rather than symptomatically. She has led numerous large-scale expansion and development projects and held six positions within Cherry Health before becoming CEO in 2018. As an accomplished and mission-minded leader, it is imperative to Tasha that our community is healthier, one patient at a time.

An eloquent and inspiring speaker, Tasha has a way of being heard on behalf of those who do not have voices, and for those whose voices have been silenced because of the barriers that they face. She is passionate and personally driven to ensure that all patients served in her home community, and surrounding areas, receive the highest quality of care.

Shaped by his twenty plus years of retail and health care facilities operations experience, Bill Joure brings a unique style of leadership and experience to Cherry Health, as well as a passion for community health.

As Chief Operations Officer, Joure provides the administrative and operational oversight of the organization, including Behavioral Health, Communications, AmeriCorps & Facilities management. Prior to joining Cherry Health in 2020, he was Senior Vice President at Howard Brown Health, leading that organizations growth from two to twelve clinical sites over the course of five years. He was also part of the team that achieved the designation of Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) for that agency.

As an internal medicine physician with more than two decades of community health experience, Dr. Leslie Pelkey is committed to improving health outcomes for those facing significant inequities in access and quality of care.

Dr. Pelkey joined Cherry Health in 2003 as a physician and was named Associate Chief Medical Officer in 2015. In her current role as Chief Medical Officer, she provides a clinical perspective to advance Cherry Healths mission by leading the necessary culture change and collaborative efforts to engage staff and align resources in order to improve the quality of care and overall patient experience.

In addition to her leadership role at Cherry Health, Dr. Pelkey continues practicing medicine as a board-certified internist at Heart of the City Health Center Adult Medicine, where she enjoys working with students across disciplines including pharmacy, social work and medicine. Dr. Pelkey is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), and is also a member of the Kent County Medical Society, Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Primary Care Association (MPCA) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).

With a passion for increasing access to oral health care for underserved communities, Dr. Hill joined Cherry Health right out of dental school in 2006 as a general dentist and later served as director of dental services until being named chief oral health officer in 2020. His more than 13 years at Cherry Health has not only fueled his growth as a dentist and healthcare leader, but it also serves as the driving force behind Dr. Hills commitment to helping as many patients in our community as possible by providing high-quality, patient-centered care. In addition to his work at Cherry Health, Dr. Hill is actively involved with the Michigan Dental Associations Committee on Access to Care. He also provides clinical leadership for students at the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry and the University of Michigan School Of Dentistry.

Glenda Williams is a versatile business leader with over 20 years of healthcare experience, and a style of leadership that is rooted in utilizing data and technology to improve patient experience and health outcomes. As Chief Information Officer, Walker is responsible for the vision of the information services and quality processes for the organization. She oversees all technology initiatives, clinical data analytics capabilities and maintains the organizations information infrastructure.

Williams joined Cherry Health in 2011 as Site Manager of Westside Health Center and went on to serve as Director of Quality and Informatics as well as Interim COO. Prior to 2011, she held management and leadership positions for Spectrum Health, Mercy Health Saint Marys, and Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.

Leslie has been a leader in Human Resources for over two decades driving business results through the unique intersection of strategy, talent, and culture. She had a significant focus on people and culture strategies by leading efforts to drive organizational transformation, employee recognition, leadership, developing/attracting top talent, succession planning for critical roles, technology, being an employer of choice, and helping organizations thrive in dynamic conditions.

Prior to joining Cherry Health, Leslie served as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, successfully executing HR initiatives during an explosive expansion via acquisitions, taking the company public in 2014, and supporting organizational growth. Previously, she served in Human Resources leadership roles at Bank of America and Michigan Wholesale Lending developing teams, leading strategy and Human Resources initiatives to support organizational success.

Cynthia has spent a career dedicated to the success of meaningful work and community purpose in the healthcare industry. Having spent more than 15 years in finance and reimbursement as an administrator in the private sector, Cynthia gained a unique knowledge, passion and experience base that has proven invaluable in the FQHC environment. As a LatinX and LGBTQ+ member of the community, Cynthia is sensitive to cultural and gender related issues.

Prior to Duncansons role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Cherry Health, she served as the CFO of Honor Health Center in Pontiac, Michigan. In her role as CFO, Duncanson will focus on creating long term financial sustainability through strategic business growth. Her sharp analytical skills and reimbursement knowledge, coupled with her personal drive to make a positive impact, motivates her to improve the effectiveness of health centers by tackling the most prevalent issues for our most vulnerable community members.

A unique aspect of a Federally Qualified Health Center is that it must be governed by a community board composed of a majority (51% or more) of health center patients who represent the population served. The Cherry Health Governing Board of Directors define and preserve the mission of the organization, while serving as the voice of the community.