U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Friday that USDA provided more than $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2017 to help improve access to health care services for 2.5 million people in rural communities in 41 states.
“USDA invests in a wide range of health care facilities – such as hospitals, clinics and treatment centers – to help ensure that rural residents have access to the same state-of-the art care available in urban and metropolitan areas,” Perdue said.
“I understand that building a prosperous rural America begins with healthy people. Ensuring that rural communities have access to quality medical care is a top priority for USDA.”
USDA invested in 97 rural health care projects that served 2.5 million people in Fiscal Year 2017 through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program.
The loans can be used to fund essential community services. For health care, this includes to construct, expand or improve health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics and assisted-living facilities, as well as to purchase equipment.
Public bodies, non-profit organizations and federally recognized tribes in rural areas and towns with up to 20,000 people are eligible for these loans.
The following are some rural health care projects that USDA funded in Texas during FY 2017:
–Uvalde County Hospital Authority received a direct loan of $58,450,000 and a guaranteed loan of $16,550,000, with an applicant contribution of $8,500,000 to build a replacement health care campus for Uvalde County Memorial Hospital.
The facility is proposed as a 163,000 square foot 3-story facility that will include the space allocations for outpatient and inpatient services, administrative services, and support services.
–Atascosa Health Center, Inc., received a $2.1 million loan to construct a new medical and dental clinic. The new facility will consist of approximately 7,656 square feet to serve the residents of Karnes County.
–Rural Development provided a loan of $1,140,000 to Cactus Health Services to construct a modular Health Clinic building in Fort Stockton. They are currently located in a leased facility that is too small and not in a commercial area of the community.
The Health Clinic will provide an in-take area, exam rooms, nurse’s stations, dental office, mental health office, doctor offices, x-ray, administrative offices, lab, and a waiting room.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas.
This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; homeownership; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas.
For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
