Illinois State Director Douglas Wilson today announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $4.1 million in Illinois grants to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. These investments will benefit rural residents throughout Illinois.
“The DLT program gives communities the technological access they need to bring educational and medical professionals together to provide the best care possible in rural Illinois.” Wilson said. “These projects enhance the quality of life for rural residents by improving their economic opportunities, community infrastructure, environmental health, and the sustainability of agricultural production. Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is committed to be a strong partner to rural communities.”
Background:
USDA is funding 116 projects through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program throughout the United States. The program helps health care and education institutions buy the equipment and software necessary to deploy distance-learning and telemedicine services to rural residents. See below for the Illinois projects.
- Taylorville Community Unit School District 3, This Rural Development investment will be used to help the Taylorville School District provide interactive videoconferencing distance learning classrooms to 14 rural schools across central Illinois, connecting them to the Rural Illinois Shared Education Network. Through this project, districts will share Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) classes and labs, electives, low-density classes, dual credit courses, and nine Advance Placement (AP) courses. The expansion will also add additional classroom space for Chestnut Health so they can meet increasing demand for opioid and substance abuse educational opportunities.
- HSHS St. John’s Hospital, This Rural Development investment will be used to fund a distance learning and telemedicine project that will help address the problems of rural health professional shortages, including opioid and substance use disorder (OUD/SUD) medical assisted treatment (MAT)-waivered providers, educators, clinicians and behavioral health specialists. The project will also address the problems of a lack of patient access to acute hospital (critical and emergency department) and non-acute (outpatient) clinical care.
- Blackburn University, This Rural Development investment will be used to enable Blackburn College, along with 12 other school districts in rural Macoupin and Montgomery counties in Illinois, to complete a distance learning project. The project will expand educational opportunities, increase the availability of Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) learning opportunities, increase dual credit courses, and provide teacher professional development. Additionally, equipment that enables interactive video conferencing will be deployed at all sites. The project will serve 3,697 students in sixth through 12th grade. This distance learning project will be within two Opportunity Zones; one in Gillespie, Ill., and one in Hillsboro, Ill.
- Regional Office of Education #17, This Rural Development investment will be used to establish synchronous distance learning among rural high schools. The network will utilize interactive video conferencing equipment, thus allowing them to share resources, classes (including Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM)), and professional development using distance learning. The project will improve issues related to faculty retention and student access to educational services relevant to college and career goals.
- Shawnee Community College District, This Rural Development investment will be used to help purchase and provide distance learning equipment, technologies, and connectivity to students and teachers at the twelve partnering high schools residing within the Shawnee Community College (SCC) District. This network will serve faculty and district residents at the SCC's four extension centers and main campus. High school students and teachers, college students and faculty, and district residents will be offered opportunities to attend a variety of educational, workforce training and/or health education programs through this distance learning project.
- Jersey Community Hospital District, This Rural Development investment will be used to assist Jersey Community Hospital District with the purchase of new telemedicine equipment with simulcast and licensing. Jersey Community Hospital will establish a telemedicine program for pediatric patients in the Emergency Department and high-risk pregnancies.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office. USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs 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 areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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