USDA Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh announced that USDA is investing $1 billion to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
The funding will help increase access to healthcare, education, and public safety for people in rural communities across the U.S. Dr. Bronaugh highlighted 731 projects that USDA is making in five programs including Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants, Community Facilities Loan Guarantees, Community Facilities Technical Assistance Training Grants, Community Facilities Disaster Grants, and Economic Impact Initiative.
The projects will finance emergency response vehicles and equipment, build or improve hospitals and clinics, and fund other essential community facilities. For example, in Alabama, the Medical West Hospital Authority will use $360 million in Community Facilities Program funding to build a state-of-the-art 200 bed hospital. This project will benefit approximately 333,000 rural people in these communities.
For example, Michigan will enable Munising Memorial Hospital to use a $63,000 Economic Impact Initiative Grant to purchase a mobile x-ray room. The medical equipment will include a computer interface and processing software, as well as the automatic transfer of patient information reports. The equipment will benefit more than 9,600 rural people.
Go to https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/01/26/usda-invests-1-billion-improve-community-infrastructure-people for more information on the USDA awards.
In another move, the FCC in Round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program Awards Program, approved an additional 100 applications for funding totaling $47.89 million. This is FCC’s sixth and final funding announcement of approved Round 2 applications.
For example, $572,310 was awarded to Advantage Care Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Glen Head, NY. The funding will enable the purchase of tablets, cameras, monitors, laptops, headsets, and other connected devices to expand telehealth capabilities.
Another award for $638,914 went to the California Rural Indian Health Board, a consortium of six healthcare providers in California, to purchase telemedicine carts, Bluetooth-enabled medical devices, computers, telecommunication video licenses to improve access to primary care for rural residents and use remote monitoring for at-risk patients.
Go to https://fcc.gov/document/fcc-announces-final-group-covid-19-telehealth-program-awards for more information on the FCC awards.