Telehealth Network Grant Program - Project Title: HealthLinc’s Rural Telehealth Program Applicant Organization Name: HealthLinc, Inc. Project Director Name: Melissa Mitchell, CEO Contact Phone Number: 888-580-1060 Email Address: mmitchell@healthlincchc.org Track: Regular Grant Program Funds Requested: $300,000/year HealthLinc was founded in 1996 in Northwest Indiana by a group of community volunteers who believed health care was a right, not a privilege. HealthLinc’s advocates were volunteers who saw a need for health care in low-income areas. HealthLinc gained Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status in 2006 and has since grown to serve six counties through 14 freestanding clinics and one corporate location. HealthLinc is dedicated to serving the local community, addressing varying levels of need, and targeting uninsured, underserved, and low-income individuals. HealthLinc offers a sliding-scale payment system for patients and does not turn away patients for inability to pay. In 2025, HealthLinc served 56,557 patients through 219,756 visits. HealthLinc’s program will take place in Starke and Newton counties in northern Indiana. Both counties have been identified as HRSA-designated rural areas and are prime populations for this program. Census data recognizes that 10.2% of Newton County and 9% of Starke County are without health coverage, making this population an ideal focus for the HealthLinc rural telehealth program. Over the five-year grant period, HealthLinc plans to advance the Make America Health Again (MAHA) goals by expanding its telehealth nutrition services into Starke and Newton counties. The organization will address the root causes of poor health, improve healthcare access, link patients with nutrition programs, and focus on preventing chronic diseases. To do this, HealthLinc will employ 1 FTE Dietitian, 0.5 FTE Community Health Worker, and 0.5 FTE Program Coordinator. The project involves connecting patients through medical provider referrals to the Dietitian and Community Health Worker for virtual telehealth sessions, and integrating them into the remote patient monitoring program and Food as Medicine program. The initiative aims to improve hypertension, A1C, and BMI. From September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2031, HealthLinc anticipates progress in the management of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cholesterol, heart disease, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia. The project is expected to serve 6,750 community members, see 2,250 patients, and demonstrate health improvements in 1,350 patients.
