Farm Director, KC Sheperd, caught up with the Oklahoma State Director of USDA Rural Development, Kenneth Corn, and talked about grants totaling more than $4.6 million to assist 12 communities in expanding access to healthcare as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
“One of the things the president has talked to us about is making sure people have access to healthcare no matter where they live and no matter where their zip code is,” Corn said.
These investments will help regional partnerships, public bodies, nonprofits, and Tribes solve regional rural healthcare challenges. These solutions will build a stronger, more sustainable rural healthcare system for the nation’s small towns and communities.
This is the second round of grants that will total $4.6 million, Corn said, out of about $11.2 million that Oklahoma received. Corn said these funds are to help improve rural healthcare systems, including hospitals, ambulances, clinics, and more.
The following Oklahoma communities and healthcare organizations received grant dollars:
- Choctaw County Ambulance Authority
- City of Elmore
- Kiowa County Hospital Authority
- McAlester Regional Healthcare Authority
- Atoka County EMS
- Grady Memorial Hospital Authority
- Hughes County EMS
- Johnston County EMS
- Kiowa County Hospital Authority
- Mercy Hospital – Ada
- Mercy Hospital – Tishomingo
- Mercy Hospital – Watonga
- City of Sallisaw Hospital Authority
The complete list of awardees can be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/usda-rd-nr-emergency-rural-health-care-grants-awards-07252023.pdf.
“This doesn’t really do anything to solve what is the chronic crisis on funding to keep the doors open, but what this grant does is allow them to do some things that they probably couldn’t afford to do,” Corn said. “In one hospital, they are upgrading their MRI. In the other hospitals, they are doing vital technology that is needed to improve quality of care.”
Some hospitals that took advantage of this grant early on, Corn said, bought new servers that would allow them to see patients in the parking lot and test them before they came into the hospital and potentially exposed other patients.
“Hospitals had to apply for this grant or any type of medical system,” Corn said. “We had several EMS and fire departments that got money through this grant, which we ended up buying ambulances for or defibrillators.”
Corn said this portion is the last of the funding that is part of the American Rescue Plan Act.
“He (President Biden) set aside some money specifically for rural healthcare, and we have exhausted those funds that were in there,” Corn said.
Corn said he is hopeful that in the future, Congress will consider dropping the “emergency” portion of the Emergency Rural Health Care Grants program and create a rural health care grant.
Corn also talked about other grants available for Oklahomans.
“Right now, we have what is called the Rural Energy for America Program,” Corn said. “It is a very good grant program for small businesses located in a rural area, or an ag producer who can show that 50 percent of their income comes from the farm. That money actually can be used to do energy efficiencies to their businesses.”
The Rural Energy for America Program funds will be distributed in rounds, Corn said, and the current round will close on September 30. The next round will be open on October 1.
“This is everyone’s money, so whether Joe Biden is president or somebody else, it is your money,” Corn said.
