About MedLink

About Medlink
History

MedLink Georgia, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) corporation, originally established as the Oconee- Oglethorpe Primary Health Care Center in 1979 under the Rural Health Initiative Program. The corporation is governed by a Board of Directors that is representative of the organization’s service area.
Day-to-day operations are managed by a Chief Executive Officer and administrative staff from the corporate headquarters in Colbert, Georgia.

The corporation became a supported (USPHS Section 3’3O) Primary Health Care Center in 1979 and uses this support to increase access to medical care for patients in northeast Georgia.

MedLink Georgia, Inc. is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 2546, and a deemed Public Health Service employee site under 2 u. 5. C. 233 (B) – (n). Medlink Georgia is covered under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Our Vision

Healthy Individuals, Healthy Families, Healthy Communities

Our Mission

To partner with patients and communities to support wellness through compassionate, quality healthcare.

Executive Team

Dave Ward

Chief Executive Officer

Dave Ward

Dave Ward is the Chief Executive Officer for MedLink Georgia. He has a Master’s in Business Administration from Regis University, as well as being a Certified Public Accountant. Dave has been serving the community at MedLink for almost 10 years. He was initially brought on as the Chief Financial Officer in 2011 where he began his years of service for the organization. Through different community programs over his employment, Dave has a true passion for helping the underserved by a commitment to MedLink’s mission. He has continued to expand the net MedLink has cast as the “safety net” medical provider of choice.

Christopher Gilley

Chief Financial Officer

Christopher Gilley

Chris Gilley is the Chief Financial Officer for MedLink Georgia. He has a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Accounting from Mercer University. Chris is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Georgia. He has worked exclusively in the healthcare industry his entire career. Growing up in a very rural community, he has a passion for rural health and its support for the quality of life in the rural setting.

Mushtaq Ahmed, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Mushtaq Ahmed, MD

Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed is the Chief Medical Officer for MedLink Georgia. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Dow Medical College (Karachi Pakistan) and completed his Residency Program at Saint Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. Dr. Ahmed has been serving MedLink’s communities for over 4 years, initially brought in as a Physician/Medical Director, but through his passion for quality improvement focused on patient care, he was promoted to Chief Medical Officer in 2019. While remaining active as a provider, he continues to foster a culture of quality, challenging all staff to do their part to ensure MedLink reaches its goal of being “#1 in Quality Care”.
Board of Directors

Sandi Saffold

Board Chair

Sandi Saffold

Ms. Saffold is the current HSE Manager at Hitach

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Marilyn Favors

Vice-Chair

Marilyn Favors

Mrs. Favors is a retired Continuing Education Coordinator for Foothills AHEC.

Bobby Berryman

Treasurer

Bobby Berryman

Mr. Berryman is a minister and works for the Franklin County Board of Education as a maintenance supervisor and bus driver.

Gary Morris

Secretary

Gary Morris

Mr. Morris is the mayor of Mount Airy and a retired banker from Community Bank & Trust.

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Doug Bridges

Commerce, GA

Doug Bridges

Mr. Bridges is a farmer and retired equipment specialist.

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Alexandra Duvall, PA-C

Tiger, GA

Alexandra Duvall, PA-C

Alexandra Duvall is a Physician’s Assistant at the Cardiovascular Clinic of Northeast Georgia.

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Joe Fernandez

Elberton, GA

Joe Fernandez

Mr. Fernandez is a retired granite stonecraft designer from Trustee TMC.

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Nancy Lord

Colbert, GA

Nancy Lord

Mrs. Lord is a retired marketing director from Royston Diagnostics.

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Merlin Mejia

Gainesville, GA

Merlin Mejia

Mr. Mejia is a bilingual financial representative for Greensky.

Steve Barber

Hartwell, GA

Steve Barber

Mr. Barber is a retired CFO from MedLink.

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Linda Ramey

Clarkesville, GA

Linda Ramey

Ms. Ramey is a Marketing Liaison for Southern Companions, Inc.

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Interested in serving on our Board of Directors?

Marketing & Customer Relations
School Sponsorship Program

We are dedicated to keeping children in our communities safe and healthy, so we would love the opportunity to partner with any school or community group. We currently partner with schools to provide supplies for nursing staff, immunizations, health care, and safety training, plus so much more. If you have a need or would like to talk about partnerships and/or Sponsorships, please contact us!

Health Fairs

Health fairs can provide basic services to individuals that might not be able to access quality care otherwise. We would love the opportunity to discuss any ideas or plans that you have for your community or organization!

Event Sponsorships

MedLink is dedicated to being involved in each of our communities to help raise awareness around health and wellness. We seek out every opportunity to help spread knowledge of support and services for things related to health, wellness, resources, and strengthening our communities. If you have an event that you would like to share with us, please let us know! We cannot promise to sponsor every event, but we will try to meet the needs as our budget allows.

For More Information

For any other ideas or needs that you might have for our community, please feel free to reach out to our outreach team to discuss how we can help!

Family Connections Programs
  • YMCAs
  • Public Housing Authorities
  • Local School Systems
  • Chambers of Commerce
  • DFACS
  • Department of Public Health
  • Georgia Family Panning System
  • Council on Aging
  • Addiction Recovery Groups
  • Diabetes Support Groups
  • Food Banks
  • Local Farms
  • Homeless Ministries
  • Rape Response
  • Domestic Violence Shelters
  • Behavioral Health
  • Organizations
  • Amerigroup
  • CareSource
  • Peach State
Partnerships
Staff are very helpful. Dr Abby is so encouraging
Maggie May
Everyone was friendly and supportive.’s surroundings were clean and spotless. As a first time patient, everything was great!
Jane Aspey

We LOVE Sasha, Shea, & Elisha! Such great healthcare and we chose Sasha, because she is always SO kind, thorough, and caring with each member of our family. We HIGHLY recommend her!

Joseph and Sarah Sackett Hutcheson
Advocacy Center of Excellence
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