Biden-Harris Administration helps expand access to rural health care; new medical center in Wilmington to receive $1M
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small Tuesday announced that USDA is expanding access to health care for more than 5 million people living in 39 states and Puerto Rico as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
“During one of the most critical times in our nation’s history, the Biden-Harris Administration responded to deliver immediate economic relief and ensure rural people have access to quality health care,” Deputy Secretary Torres Small said. “USDA’s Emergency Rural Health Care Grants are helping strengthen rural America’s health care infrastructure to build for the future.”
USDA is awarding $129 million in Emergency Rural Health Care Grants to improve health care facilities in rural towns across the nation. These grants will help 172 rural health care organizations expand critical services.
The investments will help regional partnerships, public bodies, nonprofits and tribes solve regional rural health care challenges. These solutions will build a stronger, more sustainable rural health care system for the nation’s small towns and communities.
Locally, Beavercreek Medical Center, dba Soin Medical Center, will receive $1 million. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase equipment for a medical center being constructed in Wilmington. The new clinic will give the 12,520 residents of Wilmington much-needed medical assistance. It will include a rural health clinic, an emergency department, and laboratory and imaging services. Functions include providing vaccines, testing and telehealth services while improving access to quality health care.
Also in Ohio:
• The Barton Volunteer Fire Department in Belmont County will receive $41,000. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase an ambulance. COVID-19 has put a strain on the Barton Volunteer Fire Department. The current equipment and ambulances have outlived its useful life. The new ambulance will allow medical response to be more reliable and well-equipped to handle medical emergencies during the pandemic and beyond. This funding will help with continued emergency medical services, providing medical care to support the 5,184 community residents.
• Marietta Memorial Hospital will receive $10 million. This Rural Development investment will be used to launch a workforce development program designed to reduce nursing shortages in the health care system. Marietta Memorial Hospital (MMH) will also provide local residents with high-demand and high-wage jobs. MMH is part of the Memorial Health System (MHS), a nonprofit integrated health system providing health care services to rural and underserved populations — including in Athens, Monroe, Morgan, Noble and Washington counties of Ohio; and Pleasants, Tyler and Wood counties of West Virginia. MHS, Washington State Community College and West Virginia University will use the emergency health-care grant. MHS will provide job opportunities and enhance healthcare for more than 200,000 Appalachian residents in rural Ohio and West Virginia. It is projected that approximately 300 students will also benefit from this project.
Torres Small announced the awards Tuesday at the University of Virginia. USDA is providing a grant to the university’s Virginia Consortium to Advance Healthcare in Appalachia, a not-for-profit group that will use the funds to expand access to health care and telemedicine in Wise County. The funding will also help the group expand regional networks for resource sharing, training, education and communications. This group will also develop a blueprint for addressing pandemic emergency chronic illnesses and enhancing the long-term sustainability of rural health care.
Along with Ohio, the investments USDA is announcing will also expand health care services in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Puerto Rico.
This funding is made possible by President Biden’s historic legislative package, the American Rescue Plan Act. The Act and this program are examples of the government’s ability to respond quickly to ensure every person and family has access to high-quality health care.
Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021 to deliver immediate economic relief to people impacted by the pandemic. Within months after the Act’s passage, USDA responded quickly by making this funding available to ensure the long-term availability of rural health care services.
In August 2021, USDA made the Emergency Rural Health Care Grants available through the American Rescue Plan Act to help rural health care facilities, tribes and communities expand access to health care services and nutrition assistance.
The assistance is helping provide immediate relief to support rural hospitals, health care clinics and local communities. USDA is administering the funds through Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.