ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – In late 2024, Bay College fully opened The Center for Youth Health and Wellneess, a collaboration with Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM). As 2025 comes to a close, The Center is celebrating its first full year of impact on the community.
The Center For Youth Health and Wellness provides acute and mental health services for anyone ages 10 to 21. Its opening marked a major change to Delta County’s healthcare landscape.
“Bay College identified not having a health center on campus was one of the biggest needs that they had back in about 2019,” said PHDM Health Officer Mike Snyder. “By opening The Center for Youth Health and Wellness, we’re not only serving Bay College students but also the community in general.”
In 2025, The Center served more than 500 patients. May of them were student athletes.
“In the past year, we’ve done over 200 sports physicals,” PHDM Director of Nursing Carrie Polley said. “Sports is a big part of this community, along with Bay College, so having the free sports physicals yearly for everyone is huge.”
The other primary issue The Center was designed to address is mental healthcare. According to Snyder, a community needs assessment found mental health services to be lacking prior to The Center’s opening. Since the new fiscal year began on October 1, The Center has already provided nearly 150 mental health visits.
“[It’s] very frustrating for a child who is in need of mental health services not to be able to get in to see a provider,” Snyder said. “We’re able to provide appointments in a timely fashion for anyone who needs mental health services.”
The Center staff includes a licensed mental health counselor, a registered nurse, and a nurse practitioner. The team also offers primary medical services.
“If your child is not feeling well, you can get same-day appointments,” explained Polley. “They can come in for acute visits as well. We also perform well child visits. If your child’s behind on immunizations, we have those available right here.”
Polley says having accessible care within a community can make a big difference in the lives of its youth.
“It’s located right on Bay College’s campus, so it’s easy to find,” she said. “It’s also same-day appointments, so this has been huge for the community. “
If this year is a sign of what is to come, Snyder believes The Center is just getting started.
“It’s been a great partnership with Bay College,” he said. “We want to thank Bay College for giving us the space, and we hope that we’re going to be around for a very long time.”
The Center for Youth Health and Wellness is located in Room 231 of the Cathrine Bonifas building. For more information, call (906) 786-1672, click here, or visit The Center’s Facebook page.
