Source: USDA, 10/8/20

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $4.2 million in grants to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. These investments will benefit more than 741 thousand rural residents in North Carolina.

“Increasing access to telemedicine and distance learning is critical to building healthier and more resilient rural communities,” said Secretary Sonny Perdue. “Paired with our monumental effort to expand high-speed broadband access in rural America, these investments will help rural health care centers and education institutions reach more rural residents with essential services and opportunities. Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities because when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

Background:
USDA is funding seven projects in North Carolina through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program. The program helps health care and education institutions buy the equipment and software necessary to deploy distance-learning and telemedicine services to rural residents.

Here are examples of projects announced today:
•   Alamance Community College is receiving a $644,911 grant to link the school’s education and training with Alamance County’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services. The equipment and technology purchased will provide instructors access to immersive simulation technology to develop instructional materials and professional development opportunities for EMS professionals. Through collaboration from the nursing and EMS departments students will have the benefit of seeing the full circle of patient care through modules following the patient from the first point of contact.
•   Beaufort County Community College is receiving a $329,893 grant to assist the school with their "Increased Access to Distance Learning in Eastern North Carolina" Project. BCCC will purchase equipment to create two distance learning classrooms on the main campus and place a telecommunication cart at each of the six end-user site schools.
•   Carteret Community College is receiving a $960,546 grant to expand course offerings such as photography, information technology, virtual substance abuse certificate programs and professional development opportunities to the geographically isolated communities of the North Carolina coast.
•   Cumberland County Hospital System is receiving a $451,001 grant to enable to establish the Cape Fear Valley Telemedicine Network, which will extend specialty care services to rural communities in Bladen, Harnett, Hoke, Sampson, Robeson and Cumberland counties of North Carolina. CFVHS is a non-profit network of hospitals and clinics based in Fayetteville, North Carolina that serves a largely rural six county region of southeastern North Carolina.
•   Edgecombe County Schools is receiving a $567,047 grant to purchase and deploy mobile video-conferencing equipment. The distance learning project will facilitate the delivery of Science Technology Engineering and Math focused courses to students at six county schools. This distance learning network will also enable the delivery of professional development courses and opportunities for faculty and staff.
•   Granville County Schools is receiving a $679,814 grant to provide video endpoints within schools to create opportunities for videoconferencing. This will allow for career exploration, teacher share of STEM courses, and professional development.
•   North Carolina Central University is receiving a $573,243 grant to assist the school along with its partnering end-user sites, to expand services to 10 rural sites for law education services, as well as services and clinics for mental health education. NCCU will be partnering with Johnson C. Smith University to provide additional educational services and clinics related to digital literacy and cybersecurity. These courses are specifically tailored to address issues experienced by rural communities.

“Connection to the Internet is no longer a luxury,” said USDA Rural Development State Director Robert Hosford. “From healthcare to education almost every aspect of our lives has an online presence. Rural Americans need this access as much as anyone in our country.”

Perdue announced investments today in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office. 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; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.