BSN Grand Rapids - About the Institutions

About Aquinas College and Saint Mary's Health Care

Aquinas College 

Aquinas College was established in 1886 by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids and was the first co-educational Catholic college in the country. The mission of Aquinas College is to provide a liberal arts education with a Christian context to all students capable of profiting from such an education regardless of gender, age, religion, ethnicity, racial background or disability.

Saint Mary’s Health Care 

Saint Mary's Health Care is a unique and comprehensive community-directed healthcare system serving the people of West Michigan. It is a member of Trinity Health, the largest healthcare system in Michigan and the seventh largest in the nation.

The 300-bed *JCAHO-accredited teaching hospital offers a variety of primary and critical care services, including cancer, cardiac, neurological, orthopedic, pediatric, obstetric and surgical care, as well as radiology, pathology and nutritional services. Saint Mary's also operates the Living Center, a 207-bed assisted-living and rehabilitation facility; the Kidney Transplant Center; the Regional Cancer Center; amicare home healthcare entity; and a psychiatric medical unit. It also operates Advantage Health, the region's largest physician group.

Additionally, Saint Mary's operates several community health centers, including Clinica Santa Maria, which serves the Hispanic community; McAuley Health Center, which provides physical, psychological and social services to HIV-positive people; Heartside Health Center for the homeless; and the Browning-Claytor Center for the African American community.

* Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the national healthcare accreditation body.

About Grand Rapids

Aquinas College is located on the eastern edge of the city of Grand Rapids, just three hours from Detroit or Chicago. Our students enjoy the safety of a suburban campus, yet the cultural and recreational advantages of Michigan's second-largest city. The fastest growing city in the state, Grand Rapids combines big-city excitement and small-town charm. It is the hub of a four-county metropolitan area boasting a population of one million people, and amenities such as four-star hotels and restaurants, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, concerts at the Van Andel Arena, theatre, symphony, opera, ballet, and minor league baseball and IHL hockey.