Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing in 18 projects in 16 states to use communications technology to expand access to health care, substance misuse treatment and advanced educational opportunities.
"These investments will help provide better health care and educational opportunities for rural residents," Vilsack said. "Hospitals, schools and training centers across the country are successfully using telecommunications to deliver quality educational and medical services. Telemedicine, for example, can help treat patients who are struggling with opioid and other substance use disorders that disproportionately affect rural areas by allowing rural hospitals to connect with resources in other health care facilities across the country to better diagnose and treat individuals."
In January, President Obama tapped Secretary Vilsack to lead an interagency effort focused on the rural opioid epidemic. Recent efforts have helped identify effective tools to reduce drug use and overdose, including evidence-based prevention programs, prescription drug monitoring, medication-assisted treatment and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. On Aug. 31, Vilsack announced an initiative to provide transitional housing for rural Americans in recovery from substance use disorders.
USDA is awarding $4.7 million in Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program grants to support 11 distance learning and seven telemedicine projects.
In North Carolina, Rockingham County Schools are receiving a $162,698 grant to provide high-definition videoconferencing infrastructure and network capabilities for interactive educational programming. The network will provide learning opportunities for students in six rural schools.
Since 2009, USDA Rural Development in North Carolina has invested over $11 billion to start or expand rural businesses; helped rural residents buy homes; funded community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; financed electric transmission and distribution lines; and helped bring high-speed Internet access to rural residents and businesses.
USDA Rural Development has 6 Area Offices and 14 field offices across the state serving North Carolinians living in rural areas and communities. Area Office locations are in Asheville, Shelby, Lumberton, Asheboro, Henderson and Kinston. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office www.rd.usda.gov/nc.