What Started out as a great relationship has turned into tragedy! My wife has been seeing Dr…read moreVander Velda for 5 years. He helped he out, but she missed one call back to the office, he dropped her as a patient, then had n top of it Canceled he refills at the pharmacy. So know my wife is going to go though anti-depressant withdraws on a holiday, and no where to go. Thanks a lot Doctor Vander Velde very professional! Would not recommend him. Stay away!

As others have noted, Dr. V lacks compassion, has poor listening skills, is quick to judgement and…read moreis unethical in his commitment to patients. He "fires" (his language) his patients when they do not respond to treatment. Certainly it is his choice to work with whomever he likes, however, the standard of professional care is to calmly explain why he can no longer treat the patient and then offer some suggestions or assistance for next steps. Leaving a young, inexperienced patient suddenly with no recourse or plan regarding medication is not only unprofessional, but a matter of patient safety when toxic substances are involved. He berates patients, is highly critical with little understanding of the great effort involved in self care for patients suffering deep depression, makes snarky claims regarding patient compliance with no data to back up his supposition. This is his method for 'dumping' the patient rather than acknowledge that his treatment was failing. His procedure to encourage compliance with his treatment is to use threatening language related to suicide. This is highly unethical and borders on mal-practice. He is snarky in the extreme, having little to no patience with those struggling to adjust to new medication. He is insulting to family members when they try to work as a team to support the young adult patient. Although psychiatrists are in short supply in Grand Rapids I would highly recommend you steer clear of this extremely unprofessional practitioner.

i was admitted in this hospital for the adolescent inpatient program twice. both times in 2025. i…read morewas 15 both times. the first time was for a suicide attempt and it was a pretty okay experience for me. the hospital had been a co-ed unit at the time so there was boys and girls. i made a lot of friends and was kept company. they have a pretty good eating disorder program, which was something i struggled with heavily so that was nice. however the staff member (Bex) was probably the worst staff member ive ever encountered in my life. there are 2 adolescent units (400 and 500 west) she removed me from the unit i was on - 400 - and onto 5 west because she said me and another patient that i had been friends with, were becoming "too close". mind you, this is a no touch facility to begin with, so i don't know how close we can get. i was moved onto a different unit with people i was not comfortable with (i struggle dealing with new people due to trauma, which the staff knew about) when i was supposed to only have 1 day left until discharge anyway. they ended up extending my stay because they put me on another medication change, and because i had 3 panic attacks after being moved units. all the staff (minus bex) was VERY nice. they all took very good care of me and made sure i had everything i needed. we were allowed multiple phone calls a day that lasted up to around 25 minutes each. we were allowed food/water anytime we needed it, but after a certain time at night (pretty late, around like 10 pm) they had to put snacks away. i felt like i was doing okay when i was in there. we did a lot of rec therapy with games, art, movies, journaling, etc. we went outside when able to, we interacted with one another, we always had someone to talk to. it was very helpful for me. i had gotten discharged from the hospital after 22 days of being in there, and they created a very strict safety plan for me. they gave us many resources and places to call if we needed help or if i needed to come back to the hospital. another negative thing was when i had gotten out, i finally weighed myself and got to see my weight, and i was flooded with instant panic. i was being given 2-3 Ensure drinks a day, along with 3 meals + snacks every day. the mirrors were very distorted so i couldn't ever really see my body clearly. i ended up struggling worse with eating disorders when i got out than when i went in. i think they should definitely have more personalized treatments instead of a "one size fits all" kinda deal. but anyways, my experience was overall very good and if I had to go back to a mental hospital it would be forest view in a heart beat.

I was not a patient, however I worked there for 3 years. I saw so many ways that patients were let…read moredown if not further traumatized by their time there and I was helpless to do anything about it even though I tried to advocate for them. Safety there is nearly nonexistent there for floor staff and patients. The doctors barely listen to the patients or address their concerns. Often meds are changed whether the patient wants it that way or not. Acuity is often not separated, so those with depression may witness full blown psychosis aggression. I was often shocked and angry by what was happening at Forest View. I spent nearly 3 years angry every day. I have had career trauma from my experience working there. I have heard the term "moral injury" and that sums up every shift I had. I wouldn't recommend this "hospita" as a place to work or a place to recover from mental illness. I've seen it do more damage than good.

I don't know where Elsie went, but this place is tranquil as all get out. I've never been to a more…read moretranquil waiting room at a health clinic. I mean, crazy tranquil. Aside from that, the staff is caring and friendly and the doctors are amazing.

Having received Referral to this office has seriously saved my life. I had a serious diagnosis…read moreafter my annual exam and then was referred to Gynecological Oncology. The results of my testing came back on a Tuesday. I received them via MyChart. Called the office in the morning and received a call back THE SAME DAY!!! Again I saw Natasha DeHaan. She is astonishing! Took the time out of her lunch hour to call: review my results, explain what would happen next, and and answered all my questions. She is so kind and exudes confidence in her field. I would Highly recommend this office. The ENTIRE staff has been friendly, generous with their time, and so considerate. I'd to thank them also for the kindnesses and support they have extended to me during what I consider to be a health crisis. I'm sharing this person information with you all to let you all know how important you annual exam is! Even if like myself you've had a hysterectomy. Please Ladies take the time to TAKE CARE OF YOU! Your worth it!!!