USDA to provide rural health assistance
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday the release of $30 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that will help 36 communities facilities projects.
Rural areas like Dooly County in South Georgia ($50,000 grant) will use these funds to construct public use facilities like hospitals, health care and assisted-living facilities, child care centers, fire and rescue stations, police stations, community centers, public buildings, and transportation.
“There are great disparities in our healthcare system today, and it is imperative that we achieve reforms this year to ensure that people in rural America have access to the healthcare they deserve,” Vilsack said in a statement. “These Recovery Act investments will help build quality health care facilities and first-responder training centers in small towns and cities across the country.”
Recent studies show rural Americans pay 39 percent of healthcare costs out of pocket, the highest rate among any group in the United States. Almost 25 percent of Americans living in towns with 2,500 people or less have no insurance.
As a result, rural Americans are more likely to delay or forego treatment, which leads to a higher mortality rate and more instances of chronic diseases.
Learn more at www.usda.gov/recovery