Marshall County among 10 counties to share in $12.6 million Rural Healthcare Grant

Marshall County has been named as one of ten northwest Indiana counties that will share in a $12.6 million grant aimed at transforming rural healthcare, Governor Mike Braun announced Wednesday.

The funding comes from the Growing Rural Opportunities for Well-being (GROW) initiative, which awarded the grant to Region 1 — a ten-county region that includes Marshall, Fulton, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, and Starke counties.

The GROW initiative is focused on improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural communities across Indiana. It is supported by the Indiana Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), administered by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) and the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).

Indiana received nearly $207 million for the first year of the five-year federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) grant program, with approximately $120 million — about 60% of the funding — earmarked for regional grants like the one benefiting Marshall County.

"This funding is a major step forward in our commitment to making health care affordable and accessible for all Hoosiers," Gov. Braun said. "It's an important stride toward creating a more sustainable and connected network in rural Indiana."

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz emphasized the core principle behind the program. "The Trump Administration's Rural Health Transformation Program is based on one simple idea: your access to quality health care shouldn't depend on your ZIP code," Oz said. "Funding new approaches to expand access and improve health outcomes for rural Hoosiers is an important step toward achieving that vision, and I look forward to seeing RHTP dollars support equally transformative innovations for rural communities nationwide."

The Region 1 GROW grant will fund five key initiatives designed to strengthen healthcare access and delivery across the region, directly benefiting Marshall County residents:

• Regional Community Navigation & Care Coordination Network — Building trusted relationships that help residents navigate healthcare and community resources through coordinated referrals and support.
• Healthcare Innovation & Digital Care Expansion — Strengthening digital health infrastructure, telehealth, interoperability, and public health intelligence to improve coordination and decision-making.
• Healthcare Access Expansion & Mobile Care Delivery — Prioritizing expanded access to primary care, specialty care, preventive services, and coordinated clinical care throughout Region 1.
• Integrate Rural Access Network — Lowering barriers to care and addressing social drivers of health through AI-enabled healthcare navigation, virtual low-acuity care, transportation, community-based access hubs, food-as-medicine partnerships, maternal health supports, and other community-based services.
• Healthcare Workforce Development & Talent Pipeline Network — Strengthening the healthcare workforce through coordinated planning, clinical training, education-to-employment pathways, and the Regional Workforce Information System (RWIS).

For Marshall County, the grant represents an opportunity to expand telehealth services, improve care coordination, bring mobile healthcare delivery to underserved areas, invest in healthcare workforce training, and address social drivers of health such as transportation and nutrition.

The Rural Health Transformation Program's GROW initiative will now move into implementation, building on a foundation of strong collaboration, local leadership, and meaningful impact from targeted activities.

Region 1's award complements the seven other regions that received GROW regional grants. RHTP also includes 11 statewide initiatives that promote workforce investment, thoughtful partnerships, and infrastructure development.

Additional information about the GROW regional grants and the 11 statewide initiatives is available on the RHTP website at growruralhealth.in.gov.