A new study reveals another reason Grand Rapids is a great place for families.

Grand Rapids leads the country in access to pediatric care.

The study, from Vitals, ranks the top 200 metro areas in the country according to who has access to the best pediatric care.

Grand Rapids ranked highest in the country followed by Salt Lake City and Aurora, Colorado. Sterling Heights, Michigan ranked tenth.

The study revealed that while large metropolises have high under-18 patient to pediatrician ratios, mid-sized cities scored better in categories such as access and quality.

In some of the top-ranked cities, pediatricians were able to keep wait times under 15 minutes. The national average is 20 minutes, 16 seconds. Children from the worst ranked cities are waiting more than one half-hour.

Stephen Depolo
Stephen Depolo
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“Doctor shortages are being seen everywhere, but it’s disheartening when there’s a lack of access to quality care for children,” said Mitch Rothschild, CEO of Vitals. “The rise of alternative care facilities, like urgent care and retail clinics, along with more nurse practitioners and doctor assistants stepping will hopefully bring affordable quality care options to children in areas where it most needed.”

To create the list of America’s Top Cities for Access to Pediatric Care, Vitals analyzed the number of pediatricians available in each city on a per-capita basis for their under-18 population. Patient-reported metrics such as pediatrician ratings, ease in getting an appointment and wait times were also calculated into the final rankings.

Eight of the bottom ten cities were in Texas and California. Both states have high numbers of immigrants crossing their borders. All of the cities ranked in the bottom had under-18 populations higher than the national average of 23.3 percent.

Vitals
Vitals
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