GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Frontline workers sometimes cannot go home, but then the question is where do they stay? For Grand Rapids Police and Spectrum Health employees, the answer may be Calvin University.
The school is setting aside rooms at the Prince Conference Center free to GRPD officers who need a place to quarantine and Spectrum staff working long shifts or are called in from long distances.
“Sometimes our officers can’t maintain social distancing during all interactions with community members,” said GRPD Deputy Chief David Kiddle in a release.
Back in March, Kiddle thought ahead about the possibility and called Calvin University’s director of campus safety Bill Corner. Calvin’s director of health services Dr. Laura Champion learned of the need for short-term housing for Spectrum medical staff who have been called in from long distances or are pulling long hours and need a room nearby.
The Prince Conference Center is across the East Beltline from the main Calvin campus and is currently closed.
Both GRPD and Spectrum have other housing arranged for any staff who become COVID-19 positive. Those who use the Prince center will not be COVID-19 positive.
