U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Kentucky State Director Dr. Tom Carew today announced eight distance learning and telemedicine projects totaling over $5.5 million benefiting rural Kentucky.
The projects will be funded through USDA Rural Utilities Service’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program.
“Living in rural Kentucky can mean driving long distances to see medical specialists or attend professional education, but those miles can pose a hardship,” said Carew. “The Biden-Harris administration is committed to closing the digital divide by investing in rural infrastructure, and these eight projects will help leverage technology in order to make health care and education more accessible.”
County Line Primary Care LLC will use a $158,518 grant to equip four hub/end-user sites throughout Breathitt County, Perry County, Floyd County and Montgomery County in eastern Kentucky with telemedicine equipment. Medical professionals at County Line Primary Care LLC DBA: Jackson Medical Clinic Family Health Care in Kentucky will deliver remote health care services including family practice, pediatrics, diabetes management, behavioral and nutritional health, women’s health, geriatric care and physicals to four locations benefiting 540 individuals.
Henry County Board of Education will use an $893,140 grant to equip six hub/end-user sites throughout Henry County in north-central Kentucky with high quality audio-visual equipment including, but not limited to, classroom displays, teleconference cameras, document cameras, conference/large meeting space teleconference solutions and classroom devices for distance learning. Instructors at Henry County public schools will deliver distance learning connections for students and staff professional development across all content areas. This distance learning will benefit approximately 1,400 rural residents comprised of staff, parents and community members in Henry County, Kentucky.
Monroe County Board of Education will use a $969,331 grant to equip one hub site and six end-user sites throughout Monroe County in south central Kentucky with video conferencing equipment for educational programs. Instructors at the Monroe County School District in Monroe County, Kentucky will deliver virtual enrichment programs, distance learning for dual credit classes, professional development for staff and virtual counseling options for students at six locations benefiting approximately 2,600 students and staff.
Red Bird Mission Inc. will use a $271,013 grant to equip five hub sites and one end-user site throughout Clay, Laurel, Pulaski, Jessamine, Perry and Lee counties in central and southcentral Kentucky with computers, interactive audio and video equipment, telecommunications and cyber security systems. Instructors at Laurel County Adult Education (Laurel Co.), Somerset Community & Technical College (Pulaski Co.), Asbury University (Jessamine Co.), Hazard Community & Technical College (Perry Co.) and Goodwill Industries of Kentucky (Lee Co.) in Kentucky will deliver dual degree college courses (STEM), adult education and GED courses and vocational medical training to one location benefiting 600 students.
Webster County Board of Education will use a $998,316 grant to equip two hub/end-user sites and five end-user sites throughout Webster County, Kentucky with video conferencing equipment. Instructors within the Webster County School System, as well as field experts and authors, will be able to provide learning opportunities through virtual tours, viewing live cams, virtual college tours and virtual meetings with admissions staff and business leaders. The resulting distance learning opportunities will benefit students in K-12, as well as community events in seven different locations within Webster County benefiting 6,513 students.
Bowling Green-Warren County Community Hospital will use a $992,780 grant to equip one hub site and four end-user sites throughout Clinton, Hart, Simpson, Allen and Warren Counties in Kentucky with two-way audio-visual technology using digital smartboards. Medical professionals within the Med Center Health System will deliver telemedicine consults with staff and patients benefiting over 18,446 individuals.
Trimble County School District will use a $898,060 grant to equip one hub site and four end-user sites throughout Trimble County in north central Kentucky with Viewsonic Interactive Panels with Teleconferencing capabilities, Ipevo Document cameras that will capture magnified projection of both still and live instruction and a large venue Viewsonic 135” All-in-One Display Solution for large gatherings for parent and community events. Instructors at Trimble County Schools in Trimble County, Kentucky will deliver digital learning, distance learning and access to Career and Technical Education programs such as Computer Science, Engineering Technology, Law and Safety and Foreign Languages courses to four locations benefiting 1,139 students.
Lewis County Primary Care Center Inc. will use a $403,700 grant to equip twelve end-user sites throughout Boyd County, Lewis County, Mason County, Greenup County, Fleming County, Bracken County, Brown County, Carter County, Robertson County and Rowan County in northeastern Kentucky with telemedicine equipment. Medical professionals at Lewis County Primary Care Center Inc. in Lewis County, Kentucky will deliver remote behavioral health care services and specialty services including sports medicine, pulmonology, dermatology, endocrinology, neurology, palliative care and both adult and child psychology to twelve locations benefiting 8,720 individuals.
During the Biden-Harris administration, USDA Rural Development has supported economic prosperity and quality of life improvements in rural Kentucky by obligating over $3.6 billion. 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/ky.