USDA invests $2.28M to expand healthcare, broadband in rural Oregon

The USDA Rural Development’s 2023 distance learning and telemedicine grants includes:

• One Community Health ($439,629): This investment will equip Hood River and Wasco counties (and Klickitat County in Washington) with audio-visual and telehealth equipment that enable medical professionals at OCH in these counties to deliver diverse medical, behavioral health and dental telehealth treatment.

• Providence Health and Services ($347,347): This investment will help equip Yamhill, Hood River and Clatsop counties with specialized telemedicine equipment. Medical professionals with Providence Health and Services of Oregon in Multnomah County will support capacity at smaller rural hospitals with psychological/behavioral health evaluations, stroke evaluations, and neonatal distress evaluations and guidance.

In addition, $500,000 will be invested in the Broadband Technical Assistance Program.

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are committed to partnering with people in rural and Tribal communities to ensure they have every opportunity to succeed – and that they can find those opportunities right in their own communities,” Deputy Under Secretary Ahmad said. “We’re proud to partner with local leaders and organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest to make federal funding and resources accessible to people of all backgrounds and circumstances, especially those that have been overlooked in the past. The investments we’re announcing today through our Distance Learning and Telemedicine program and new Broadband Technical Assistance program will keep people in rural areas connected to quality health care and education and lay the groundwork to bring high-speed internet and new opportunities to their communities.”

Through this new program, grant recipient Rural Prosperity Partners will provide technical assistance to communities, Tribes, and broadband providers throughout rural Oregon. This assistance will build long-term, local capacity while creating a pipeline of projects ready and able to compete for future federal funding opportunities. This grant will help Rural Prosperity Partners address fundamental barriers faced by rural communities and ensure that rural Oregonians, including those in frontier districts, will have a fair shot at receiving state and federal broadband funding.

To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov/or or contact the nearest USDA Rural Development state office.

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans 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, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.