HealthLinc expanding in Michigan City

Officials on Monday celebrated the start of a project that will bring a new HealthLinc medical clinic to the community that will be more than three times larger than the current facility.

Construction of the 39,000 square foot outpatient clinic is in response to growing demand for affordable medical care from uninsured and underinsured people, said HealthLinc CEO Beth Wrobel.

HealthLinc has 12 clinics for low- to moderate-income people in Lake, Porter, Starke and St. Joseph counties.

Wrobel said the plan is to move the existing 12,000-square-foot clinic at 7th and Franklin streets to the new facility behind Ivy Tech Community College during the first quarter of 2024.

“We’ve outgrown it,” she said of the current clinic.

Wrobel said the new $15 million facility at 200 Alfred Ave., just north of U.S. 20, will have space to treat more patients and provide new services in optometry, expanded prenatal care services and an in-house pharmacy.

The current facility offers general medical, dental, podiatric, chiropractic and addiction services.

Ivy Tech medical students will also be given access to the facility to gain experience in health care as part of their studies.

The new building will contain three floors with services, initially, provided on the first two levels. The third level will be used if there’s a need for expansion in the future.

Wrobel said there were about 9,000 patients resulting in roughly 35,000 visits at HealthLinc in Michigan City last year. In comparison, there were about 500 patients during the first six months after the clinic opened its doors.

“We’ve really grown,” she said.

Wrobel said HealthLinc is funded primarily with various grants and fees from patients, whose cost is based on income.

Federal dollars make up about 10% of the operating budget, she said.

U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, said facilities such as HealthLinc make the communities they serve stronger by giving people access to medical care they otherwise might not be able to afford. Affordable healthcare also plays a role in economic development, he said.

“To say, hey, we have a quality health care provider that’s looking out for the most vulnerable, that’s something that helps bring in businesses. That’s something that brings in new residents,” Mrvan said.