Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small | USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture is investing $222 million to boost key community infrastructure in 44 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.
According to a press release issued by Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small, the funding is expected to benefit about 2.5 million people living in rural areas. The release also noted that the funds include $125 million earmarked for health care, food security and emergency response services for people in 37 states.
“The Biden-Harris administration is delivering on its promise to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild our economy,” Torres Small said in the news release. “Rural Americans need emergency response, hospitals and medical facilities, and USDA’s loans and grants invest in critical infrastructure to make that possible. USDA Rural Development puts rural people at the forefront of investment and opportunity to help us all build back better, stronger, and more resilient.”
In its release, the USDA noted that via its Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program it would be investing in a total of 536 projects. The funds will provide key financial aid to community services that have been essential amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The release also noted that funding is earmarked for emergency response vehicles and equipment. It also noted that funds will be used to build or upgrade hospitals and clinics. The USDA release cited several examples, such as Lee County, Iowa, where a $165,000 grant will fund the purchase of six ambulances to serve a rural community with a population of about 36,000.
Other examples include a $42 million loan to Tri-County Hospital in Waden, Minnesota, to construct a health care campus that includes three emergency bays, 14 inpatient rooms, and two trauma rooms as well as areas for emergency, clinics and imaging. A project in New Hampshire, the Taproot Farm and Environmental Education Center, will receive $37,490 in grants to purchase coolers and freezers to expand access to local food by ensuring it can collect and store surplus produce from local farms.
