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Grand Opening Celebration Today for New Medical Clinic and Office Building in Shenandoah to Improve Rural Healthcare Options

Name
Darin Leach
City
Shenandoah
Release Date

A grand opening celebration was held today in Shenandoah to celebrate the completion of a new medical clinic and office building that will improve healthcare opportunities for rural residents in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri.

The medical clinic is part of an ongoing large expansion and renovation at Shenandoah Medical Center made possible through a $25.35 million direct loan from USDA Rural Development.

“Access to quality healthcare is critical for rural Iowans and the communities in which they reside,” said Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa. “Helping leaders in communities such as Shenandoah identify ways to improve these opportunities for rural Iowans is an important emphasis at USDA Rural Development.”

In addition to the new two-story medical clinic, the project in Shenandoah will also include the renovation and expansion of the existing hospital and conversion of the existing clinic space into a new surgical area. Other renovations will include a single entry point and registration/waiting area, an expanded emergency department, as well as the relocation of the respiratory therapy area and lab improvements.         

The entire project is expected to be completed in 2017.

“Along with providing important services to rural Iowans, rural hospitals can be an extremely vital part of the local economic engine,” Menner said. “Many times these important healthcare facilities are that community’s largest employer. The economic impact hospitals have on our rural communities and their surrounding areas is very significant.”

During the past eight years USDA has supported major facility or equipment improvements at more than 100 rural Iowa hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes and/or assisted living facilities with around $450 million in funding.

USDA Rural Development’s funding continues to have a dramatic impact on rural communities across Iowa. Since 2009, USDA Rural Development has invested nearly $5 billion on essential public facilities, small and emerging businesses, water and sewer systems, and housing opportunities for Iowa families.

This past year USDA Rural Development’s assistance in Iowa helped create or retain more than 1,400 jobs, aided 2,000 families in buying their own homes and assisted more than 60 communities as they made improvements to their facilities, services and infrastructure. 

“We are proud to serve the needs of rural people and places to ensure that rural America continues to thrive and drive the economy,” Menner added. “We are very happy to be a partner with all the communities we serve as they work hard to make investments that will impact many future generations.”

Contact USDA Rural Development

For more information about finance programs available through USDA Rural Development, please call the office located in Atlantic at (712) 243-2107 Ext. 4. This office serves communities, businesses and residents in Harrison, Shelby, Audubon, Pottawattamie, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Adams, Fremont, Page and Taylor Counties.

USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.7 million Iowans living in rural communities and areas.  Office locations include a State Office in Des Moines, along with Area Offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.

Further information on programs available through USDA Rural Development is available by visiting the agency’s web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov/ia.

President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.