Who Provides Immunisations in Grand Rapids, Michigan?

Immunisations (vaccinations) are an important part of staying healthy in Grand Rapids and across Michigan. Which vaccines you need depends on your health, age, lifestyle and occupation (HALO), as well as your travel plans and medical history.

In the Grand Rapids area, several types of healthcare providers and community services offer vaccinations, including:

  • Primary care doctors and pediatricians
  • Local health departments
  • Hospitals and health systems
  • Pharmacies
  • Travel medicine clinics
  • Maternal and child health services

Below is a guide to where you can get immunisations in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

How to Work Out Which Vaccines You Need

Your vaccine needs can change throughout life. In Grand Rapids, you can speak with:

  • Your primary care provider (family doctor, internist, pediatrician)
  • A Spectrum Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health–University of Michigan Health, or Mercy Health clinic
  • The Kent County Health Department or Grand Rapids Public Health clinics
  • A pharmacist immuniser at a local pharmacy

They can review your HALO factors:

  • Health – chronic conditions (diabetes, heart disease, asthma, weakened immune system)
  • Age – infants, children, teens, adults, older adults
  • Lifestyle – college student, healthcare worker, frequent traveler, living in group housing
  • Occupation – healthcare, childcare, public-facing jobs, laboratory work

These providers use CDC and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) immunisation schedules to determine which vaccines you should get and when.

Immunisations from Local Public Health in Grand Rapids

Kent County Health Department & Grand Rapids Public Health

In Michigan, local health departments play a major role in providing immunisation services. In the Grand Rapids area, the:

  • Kent County Health Department
  • Grand Rapids Public Health

offer a range of vaccination services, including:

  • Routine childhood immunisations
  • Catch-up vaccines for children and teens
  • Vaccines for recently arrived refugees and immigrants
  • Adult vaccines (including flu, COVID-19, Tdap, and others)
  • School-required immunisations and records

Many vaccines are provided at low or no cost for eligible children and adults through:

  • The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program
  • Michigan state-funded vaccine programs
  • Federal programs for uninsured or underinsured individuals

A service or administration fee may apply, but this is often reduced or waived for those who qualify.

Immunisations from GPs, Pediatricians, and Medical Clinics

Primary care offices and medical clinics throughout Grand Rapids provide most routine vaccines, including:

  • Pediatric practices (for infants, children, and teens)
  • Family medicine and internal medicine clinics
  • Specialty clinics (e.g., cardiology, oncology) when vaccines are recommended for specific conditions

These clinics may be part of:

  • Corewell Health (formerly Spectrum Health)
  • Trinity Health Grand Rapids
  • Metro Health–University of Michigan Health
  • Mercy Health and affiliated practices

Services typically include:

  • Childhood and adolescent immunisation schedules
  • Adult boosters (Tdap, shingles, pneumonia, MMR, varicella, HPV)
  • Flu shots, especially important during West Michigan’s cold fall and winter seasons
  • COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
  • Vaccines for people with chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, COPD, heart disease)

If you are not eligible for a free vaccine through a public program, you can usually purchase the vaccine and have it administered by your doctor or clinic nurse. Insurance plans, including many plans in Michigan, often cover recommended vaccines with little or no copay.

Immunisations Provided in Grand Rapids Hospitals

Public and Nonprofit Hospitals

Grand Rapids hospitals provide vaccines in several settings:

  • Inpatient care – vaccines given while you are admitted for another condition
  • Outpatient clinics – specialty clinics and hospital-based primary care
  • Emergency departments and urgent care – tetanus boosters, rabies series, and other vaccines when needed

Major Grand Rapids health systems that provide immunisations include:

  • Corewell Health (Spectrum Health) – including Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
  • Trinity Health Grand Rapids
  • Metro Health–University of Michigan Health
  • Mercy Health and affiliated hospitals/clinics

Hospitals may provide free or low-cost vaccines recommended for people with specific medical conditions under federal and state programs, especially for:

  • People with weakened immune systems
  • Patients with chronic heart or lung disease
  • People preparing for certain surgeries or treatments (e.g., chemotherapy, transplant)

Maternity and Newborn Services

Maternity services at these hospitals also provide immunisations for:

  • Pregnant women – such as Tdap (whooping cough) and flu vaccines, which are especially important during Michigan’s respiratory virus season
  • New mothers and family members – to create a “cocoon” of protection around newborns
  • Newborns and infants – beginning routine immunisations shortly after birth (e.g., hepatitis B)

Immunisations from Private Hospitals and Specialist Clinics

In addition to the large health systems, some specialty clinics and private hospitals in the Grand Rapids area offer:

  • Hospital-based immunisation services for inpatients and outpatients
  • Specialist immunisation advice, particularly for:
    • Children or adults who have had a possible vaccine side effect
    • People with complex medical conditions or immune problems
    • Patients who need tailored vaccine plans before or after major treatments

If you or your child has had a vaccine adverse event or you are worried about vaccine safety because of a medical condition, your doctor may refer you to a specialist immunisation or infectious disease clinic within one of the Grand Rapids health systems.

Travel Vaccinations in Grand Rapids

Travel Medicine Clinics

Travel medicine is a specialist area that often requires specially trained doctors or nurse practitioners to:

  • Review your destination, length of stay, and activities
  • Check your existing vaccine history
  • Recommend and provide travel-specific vaccines

Common travel vaccines include:

  • Yellow fever (only at accredited yellow fever clinics)
  • Typhoid
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Japanese encephalitis
  • Rabies (pre-exposure for high-risk travel)
  • Additional MMR, polio, or meningococcal vaccines if needed

In Grand Rapids, travel vaccines may be available through:

  • Travel medicine clinics within Spectrum Health/Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, or Metro Health
  • Some larger primary care clinics with travel medicine services
  • Select pharmacies that specialize in travel health

GPs and Primary Care Providers

Some family doctors and pediatricians in Grand Rapids can also provide:

  • Routine travel vaccines (e.g., hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, flu)
  • Travel health advice for common destinations

Ask your provider if they offer travel immunisations or if they recommend a referral to a dedicated travel clinic.

Immunisations from Pharmacists in Grand Rapids

Many community pharmacies in Grand Rapids now have specially trained pharmacist immunisers who can provide a range of vaccines. These include national chains and local pharmacies, such as:

  • CVS
  • Walgreens
  • Meijer
  • Walmart
  • Rite Aid
  • Independent neighborhood pharmacies

Depending on Michigan regulations and pharmacy policies, pharmacists commonly provide vaccines for adults and, in some cases, for older children and teens, such as:

  • COVID-19 vaccines
  • Influenza (flu) – especially important in West Michigan’s long, cold winters
  • Shingles (herpes zoster) – typically for adults 50+
  • Pneumococcal vaccines – often for adults 65+ or younger adults with chronic conditions
  • Tdap/Td – tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis boosters
  • HPV – usually for adolescents and young adults
  • MMR, varicella, meningococcal, and others, depending on age and risk

Some vaccines may be free or covered by insurance; however, pharmacies may charge an administration fee. If you are not eligible for a free vaccine, you can usually purchase it directly and have it administered by the pharmacist.

Other Services Providing Immunisations in Grand Rapids

In addition to hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, several other local services may provide vaccines:

  • Community health centers and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)
    • Offer low-cost or sliding-scale immunisations for uninsured or underinsured residents
  • Aboriginal/Native American health services (tribal or Indian Health Service clinics, if applicable in the region)
  • Maternal and child health centers
    • Provide vaccines for infants, children, and sometimes for pregnant women
  • School-based immunisation programs
    • Many Grand Rapids area schools coordinate with the Kent County Health Department to offer vaccines to adolescents (e.g., Tdap, HPV, meningococcal)
  • Immigration and refugee health services
    • Provide catch-up immunisations to meet U.S. and Michigan requirements

These services are especially important in a diverse city like Grand Rapids, which includes families from many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Common Vaccines Available in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Vaccines commonly available through Grand Rapids providers include:

  • COVID-19 vaccines
  • Influenza (flu) – for children and adults
  • Childhood vaccines – including:
    • DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis)
    • Polio
    • Hib
    • Hepatitis B
    • Pneumococcal (PCV)
    • Rotavirus
    • MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
    • Varicella (chickenpox)
  • Adolescent vaccines – such as:
    • HPV (human papillomavirus)
    • Meningococcal ACWY and sometimes MenB
    • Tdap booster
  • Adult vaccines – including:
    • Tdap/Td boosters
    • Shingles (herpes zoster)
    • Pneumococcal (PCV, PPSV)
    • Hepatitis A and B
    • MMR and varicella (if not immune)
  • Special vaccines – such as:
    • RSV (for certain infants and older adults as recommended)
    • Japanese encephalitis (for specific travel)
    • Yellow fever (at accredited travel clinics)
    • Mpox (for high-risk groups, as recommended)

Your provider will help you decide which of these are recommended based on your age, health, and lifestyle.

Seasonal and Local Health Considerations in Grand Rapids

Living in West Michigan brings some specific health considerations that make vaccines especially important:

  • Cold winters and lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan increase time spent indoors, which can raise the risk of flu, COVID-19, and RSV spread.
  • Older adults and people with chronic conditions (common in Michigan’s aging population) benefit greatly from flu, pneumonia, COVID-19, and shingles vaccines.
  • College students in Grand Rapids (e.g., Grand Valley State University, Calvin University, Aquinas College, Cornerstone University) often need up-to-date meningococcal, MMR, and Tdap vaccines.
  • Outdoor and Great Lakes activities (camping, fishing, hiking) make tetanus boosters and sometimes rabies pre-exposure (for certain high-risk jobs) important to consider.

Where to Get Help with Immunisations in Grand Rapids

If you are unsure where to start, you can:

  • Contact your GP or primary care provider
    • Ask which vaccines you or your family need and where to get them.
  • Reach out to the Kent County Health Department
    • For clinic locations, hours, and low-cost or free vaccine programs.
  • Call your health system
    • Spectrum/Corewell, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, or Mercy Health can direct you to immunisation clinics.
  • Ask your local pharmacy
    • To see which vaccines they offer and what your insurance covers.

Keeping your immunisations up to date is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect yourself, your family, and the Grand Rapids community—especially during Michigan’s long respiratory virus season and busy travel periods.