Healthcare Decision-Making in Grand Rapids, MI: Options, Benefits and Risks

Making decisions about your health or medical treatment can feel overwhelming. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, you have access to high-quality care through major health systems like Corewell Health (formerly Spectrum Health), Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health, and Mercy Health. Understanding your options, benefits, and risks can help you make confident choices that fit your life in West Michigan.

Why Your Healthcare Decisions Matter

Healthcare decisions can affect:

  • Your day-to-day life and independence
  • Your family and caregivers
  • Your work and finances
  • Your ability to enjoy activities around Grand Rapids in all seasons (from winter snow and ice to summer outdoor recreation)

Treatment decisions may involve:

  • How often you need appointments or therapy
  • Whether you need surgery or can try non-surgical options
  • How much time you’ll need off work to recover
  • How your choices fit into Michigan’s seasonal challenges (for example, joint surgery before winter, asthma control during allergy seasons)

Getting involved in your healthcare—called shared decision making—helps you understand your condition and choose the care that’s best for you.

Finding Reliable Health Information in Grand Rapids

Online Information vs. Professional Advice

There is more health information online than ever before. However, not all websites are accurate or relevant to your specific situation.

For trusted, local health information, you can use:

  • Corewell Health and Trinity Health Grand Rapids patient education pages
  • Metro Health – University of Michigan Health resources
  • Kent County Health Department and Grand Rapids Public Health websites for vaccination, chronic disease, and community health programs
  • MyChart and other patient portals from local hospitals to review your own test results and care plans

Only licensed healthcare professionals—such as your Grand Rapids primary care provider, specialist, or nurse practitioner—can give you medical advice tailored to your specific condition, age, and health history.

Healthcare Decisions and Your Personal Values

Your healthcare decisions may be influenced by:

  • Lifestyle (work schedule, childcare, transportation in winter)
  • Culture and family traditions
  • Religious beliefs
  • Personal ethics and preferences

In Michigan, you have the right to accept or refuse medical treatment, including if a treatment conflicts with your religious or personal beliefs. It is important to:

  • Tell your doctor about any religious or cultural needs
  • Discuss what matters most to you (for example, staying at home vs. being in a facility, avoiding certain procedures, or focusing on comfort)

Local providers in Grand Rapids are used to working with people from many backgrounds and can help you find options that respect your values.

Key Questions to Ask When Making a Healthcare Decision

A helpful way to approach decisions is to ask structured questions. One evidence-based tool is the Ottawa Decision Support Framework, which guides you through weighing pros and cons of different options.

You might start with questions like:

1. Clarifying the Decision

  • What decision do I need to make?
  • Why do I need to make this decision now?
  • Who do I want involved (family, faith leader, caregiver, interpreter)?
  • Do I have enough information and support to choose?

2. Considering Timing and Recovery

  • When do I need to make this decision?
  • Are there time-sensitive treatments, such as cancer treatments at Spectrum Health or urgent surgeries at Trinity Health Grand Rapids?
  • How long will recovery take?
  • How will Michigan’s winter weather (snow, ice, fall risk) or summer heat and humidity affect my recovery and follow-up visits?
  • Will I need help with transportation to appointments in Grand Rapids or surrounding Kent County?

3. Comparing Your Options

For each option, ask:

  • What are my treatment options?
  • Is doing nothing (or “watchful waiting”) an option?
  • Which option am I leaning toward, and why?
  • What are the benefits (positives) of each option?
  • What are the risks or side effects (negatives) of each option?
  • How likely are these benefits and risks for someone like me (age, other conditions, lifestyle)?
  • How much do these benefits and risks matter to me personally?

Write your answers down or bring a trusted friend or family member to appointments at your Grand Rapids clinic or hospital to help you remember and process information.

Your Right to Make Your Own Healthcare Decisions

In Michigan, you have the right to:

  • Receive clear, understandable information about your diagnosis and treatment options
  • Ask questions until you understand your choices
  • Seek a second opinion from another Grand Rapids provider or system
  • Accept or refuse any treatment, including surgery, medications, or life-prolonging measures
  • Have an interpreter if English is not your first language

Your doctor’s role is to guide you with medical expertise, not to force you into a decision. Good care means making sure you fully understand:

  • What each option involves
  • The possible outcomes
  • How each choice aligns with your goals and values

What Is Shared Decision Making?

Shared decision making means you and your healthcare team make decisions together. This approach is widely used in Grand Rapids hospitals and clinics.

How Shared Decision Making Works

Your doctor or nurse will:

  • Explain your diagnosis in plain language
  • Describe the available options (including no treatment, when appropriate)
  • Review the benefits and risks of each option
  • Ask about your goals (for example, staying active with your kids, returning to work, or managing pain)
  • Help you compare how each option fits your goals, lifestyle, and values

You will:

  • Share your concerns, fears, and priorities
  • Ask questions and request clarification
  • Take time to think, when possible, before choosing
  • Involve family or caregivers if you wish

You can ask your Grand Rapids provider if they use decision aids, such as:

  • Printed brochures or charts comparing options
  • Online tools from local health systems
  • Videos that explain procedures or chronic disease management

When Shared Decision Making May Not Be Possible

Shared decision making is not always practical, such as:

  • In a life-threatening emergency, when emergency room staff at Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, or Mercy Health must act quickly to save your life
  • When you are unconscious, heavily sedated, or unable to communicate
  • If you have advanced dementia or another condition that affects decision-making capacity

In these situations, healthcare professionals will follow:

  • Michigan laws
  • Hospital policies
  • Any advance care planning documents you have completed
  • The guidance of your legally chosen decision maker (patient advocate)

Advance Care Planning in Grand Rapids, MI

What Is Advance Care Planning?

Advance care planning means thinking ahead and writing down what kind of medical care you would want if you could not speak for yourself. This is especially important in Michigan, where sudden events (such as winter car accidents, heart events, or serious illness) can happen without warning.

Advance care planning may include:

  • Choosing a medical decision maker (also called a patient advocate or healthcare proxy)
  • Completing a Michigan advance directive
  • Writing down your preferences about:
    • Life support (ventilators, CPR)
    • Feeding tubes and hydration
    • Pain control and comfort care (palliative care)
    • Where you would prefer to receive care (home, hospital, hospice)

Why Advance Care Planning Helps

Having these conversations and writing down your wishes:

  • Helps your family and friends feel more confident in making decisions for you
  • Reduces stress and conflict among loved ones
  • Guides your Grand Rapids healthcare team to respect your values and priorities
  • Ensures that care aligns with your definition of quality of life

You can discuss advance care planning with:

  • Your Grand Rapids primary care doctor
  • Hospital social workers or patient advocates
  • Palliative care teams at local hospitals
  • The Kent County Health Department and local community organizations that offer forms and workshops

Making Decisions for Someone Else

If you are appointed to make medical decisions for another person (for example, a parent, spouse, or adult child):

If They Have an Advance Directive

  • Follow their advance directive or written wishes as closely as possible
  • Use their documented values and preferences to guide each decision
  • Share the document with the hospital or clinic in Grand Rapids providing care

If They Do Not Have an Advance Directive

  • Base decisions on what the person would have wanted, not just what you want
  • Think about:
    • Past conversations about illness, aging, or end-of-life care
    • Their religious and cultural beliefs
    • Their usual approach to medical care (for example, “do everything” vs. “avoid aggressive treatment”)
  • Talk with the healthcare team about options and what each would mean for quality of life

This is why it is so important to talk about medical wishes before a crisis—with family, close friends, and your chosen decision maker.

Local Resources for Help With Healthcare Decisions in Grand Rapids

If you need help understanding your options or planning for the future, you can turn to:

  • Your primary care doctor or specialist in any Grand Rapids health system
  • Hospital social workers and patient advocates at:
    • Corewell Health (Spectrum Health)
    • Trinity Health Grand Rapids
    • Metro Health – University of Michigan Health
    • Mercy Health
  • Kent County Health Department and Grand Rapids Public Health for community programs, chronic disease support, and vaccination information
  • Local palliative care and hospice services for support with serious illness and comfort-focused care
  • Faith leaders, community organizations, and cultural groups in the Grand Rapids area

Key Points to Remember

  • There are many factors to consider when making decisions about your ongoing health or medical treatment, including cost, timing, recovery, and impact on your daily life in Grand Rapids.
  • Your lifestyle, culture, religion, and personal ethics can and should shape your healthcare choices. You have the right to refuse treatment if it goes against your beliefs.
  • Shared decision making means you and your doctor make treatment decisions together, based on clear information about options, benefits, and risks.
  • Advance care planning and advance directives help ensure your wishes are respected if you cannot speak for yourself and guide those making decisions on your behalf.
  • When you are making decisions for someone else, focus on what they would want, using any past conversations or written instructions as a guide.

If you live in the Grand Rapids, MI area and are unsure about a healthcare decision, start by talking with your local doctor or contacting a nearby hospital or the Kent County Health Department for guidance and resources.