Community Health Center
Heart of the City Health Center
100 Cherry St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4526 0.1 miles away
Community Health Center
Catherine's Health Center - Mel Trotter
225 Commerce Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4107
Catherine's Health Center - Mel Trotter is a community health center dental clinic in Grand Rapids, MI, operated by Catherines Health Center, which runs 3 clinics in Michigan.
The health center is open about 40 hours a week, though dental sessions are usually a subset of that.
Clinic Details
| Address | 225 Commerce Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 616-336-8800 |
| Operated by | Catherines Health Center |
| Program | Health Center Program (federally funded) |
Planning Your Visit
225 Commerce Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
The published number is 616-336-8800. It may be a shared scheduling line. Say which site you mean and that you want dental rather than medical, or you can be booked into the wrong queue.
Things to settle on the phone first: the dental hours, and which days appointments run, whether new dental patients are being taken, and the current wait, what a first visit costs, before and after any discount, whether your insurance or Medicaid dental plan is accepted, by plan name, and what to bring for the sliding fee application.
Dental Services
This clinic has not published a list of the treatments it provides. Expect the routine treatments to be available. The question worth asking is about the expensive ones: root canals, dentures and oral surgery are handled in house at some health centers and referred out at others.
Costs and Coverage
Charges are set against household income and household size rather than a fixed fee schedule. The scale belongs to Catherines Health Center, not to a national schedule, so the only reliable figure is the one they give you. Ask them to run your household through it before you commit to a treatment plan. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to bring.
No Medicaid registration has been recorded for this clinic, which is not the same as Medicaid being refused. What Michigan Medicaid covers for adults is a state decision and has been cut and restored in several states; for children the benefit is required nationally. The Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.
Common Questions
Is the building accessible if I use a wheelchair?
Federally supported facilities are subject to accessibility requirements, but the practical questions — whether the dental chair can be transferred to, whether the accessible entrance is the one you would arrive at — are worth asking directly rather than assuming from the front door.
How do they work out what I pay?
From your household income and family size, checked against a scale the clinic sets itself. That is why a quote from another clinic tells you nothing about this one. Our guide to applying for the discount lists the documents to take.
What if I need to be seen urgently?
If you think it might be an emergency, go to an emergency room rather than trying to book here — that is the one situation where the price of the visit is not the thing to weigh. Otherwise, call early in the day and say you are in pain, because it routes the call differently; some health centers hold same-day slots for exactly that and do not advertise them.
What should I bring to the first appointment?
Photo identification, proof of address, and documentation of household income — recent pay stubs, a benefits award letter or a tax return. Take your insurance or Medicaid card if you have one, and a list of any medications you take.
Can I pay in installments?
Many health centers will arrange this, particularly for dentures or a course of treatment, but it is rarely advertised and you generally have to ask. Agree the amount and the schedule before treatment starts, and ask what happens if you miss one, because that varies more than the plans themselves do.
How large is the dental program?
Across all of its sites, Catherines Health Center reported treating 2,911 dental patients in its most recent federal return. That is the organization rather than this address, and a large organization can still run a small dental room here, so it tells you the program is real and operating rather than how many chairs are in this building.
Size of the Dental Service
Catherines Health Center provided 8,915 dental visits and 2,911 dental patients in 2025, with the equivalent of 11.67 full-time dental staff. This indicates an established dental service operating regular sessions, although appointment availability still varies by clinic and time of year.
Figures describe the operating organization as a whole, across all of its clinics.
Other Clinics Operated by Catherines Health Center
Catherines Health Center operates 2 other clinics elsewhere in Michigan. Asking the scheduling line which site can see you soonest is usually faster than calling each in turn; the shortest wait is not always the closest clinic. The income assessment usually transfers between sites in the same organization, which saves repeating the paperwork. What is treated at one site is no guide to another, so confirm with the clinic you actually intend to visit.
Other Dental Clinics Nearby
These are straight-line distances. Two clinics a mile apart can have very different waits, so it is worth calling both.
- Heart of the City Health Center — Grand Rapids, less than a mile away
- Ferguson Dental Center — Grand Rapids, less than a mile away
- Cherry Street Health Center — Grand Rapids, less than a mile away
- Belknap Commons Dental Center — Grand Rapids, about 1.3 miles away
Confirmed Payment Options
Income-Based Fees
Call Catherine's Health Center - Mel Trotter
Confirm current dental services, appointment availability, costs and accepted insurance directly with the clinic.
Nearby Affordable Dental Clinics
Community Health Center
Ferguson Dental Center
101 Sheldon Blvd SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4262 0.2 miles away
Community Health Center
Cherry Street Health Center
550 Cherry St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4748 0.7 miles away
Community Health Center
Belknap Commons Dental Center
751 Lafayette Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-1628 1.3 miles away
Before you call
