Hunterdon Medical Center Awarded $1.23 Million in Rural Health Transformation Grants

Hunterdon Medical Center (HMC) has been awarded $1.23 million in Rural Health Transformation Grants from the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), made possible through the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  Running through October 30, 2026, the projects—"Hunterdon Heartland Rural Health Initiative: Technology Innovation & Preventive Programming" and “Hunterdon Healthy Harvest & Wellness” —will significantly expand medical and nutrition access for high-risk, uninsured, and underinsured rural patients.

The funding will support three major initiatives:

• Community Support: HMC is funding a new care transitions team, including a coordinator, a nurse, and five Community Health Workers. This team will assess patients' needs, help them connect to community resources and transition home after their hospital stay. They will also provide medication access support.  HMC is also teaming up with other local nonprofit organizations including goHunterdon to facilitate patient transportation assistance and with America's Grow-A-Row to offer online cooking and healthy eating classes.
   
• Technology Upgrades: HMC is launching a new Virtual Nursing program, piloting on the 5 South unit with dedicated patient room devices and expanding to other units using portable carts. The program utilizes Virtual Registered Nurses (VRNs) to provide patients with dedicated, one-on-one time for critical processes, including admissions, comprehensive education, and discharge coordination. This shifts time-intensive, non-clinical tasks away from bedside nurses, allowing them to focus entirely on hands-on patient care. Crucially for our rural community, this technology allows families who cannot be physically present to securely join virtual sessions with the VRN, enhancing engagement and strengthening care transitions by facilitating a seamless handoff to the Community Health team for follow-up support. 
   
• Chronic Disease Prevention:  In partnership with the Hunterdon Community Farmers Market, New Roots, Inc., and Cabbage Throw Farm, the project will establish a sliding-scale farm share program based on the proven "Fresh Stop" model to make locally grown produce accessible to families of all income levels. By integrating food access with proactive clinical and social support—including individualized nutrition education, chronic disease screenings, health education, and virtual physical fitness classes—the initiative addresses critical social determinants of health to build lasting community wellness.

"We are incredibly grateful to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the New Jersey Department of Health for this funding," said Kim Blanda, RN, Project Director for the community support and chronic disease components. "By embedding Community Health Workers directly into our patient workflows and removing barriers to medication, nutrition, and transportation, these grants allow us to seamlessly support our most vulnerable rural neighbors, bridging the gap between hospital care and recovery at home."

“This grant marks a major technological milestone for our clinical teams," added Susan Jelvani, MSN, Project Director for the virtual nursing component. "Implementing an innovative Virtual Nursing model allows us to significantly strengthen patient education and self-management by integrating virtual care into transition workflows. This is vital for patients, their families, and our rural communities, which is the exact focus of this project's financing. Critically, families who cannot be present at the hospital can now join virtually for education and discharge instructions, ensuring a successful and supported transition home, leading to improved patient outcomes." 

About Hunterdon Medical Center
Hunterdon Medical Center, located in Flemington, New Jersey, is a 184-bed teaching hospital serving populations across Hunterdon and surrounding counties. We provide a full range of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic inpatient and outpatient services.  Our staff is committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients.  Hunterdon Medical Center treats nearly 8,000 inpatients annually, with over 32,000 Emergency Department visits and over 800,000 outpatient visits per year.  To learn more, visit hunterdonhealth.org.

About the Rural Health Transformation Grant Funding
This publication is funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $147,250,805.85, with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.