LAONA, Wisc., Oct. 17, 2024 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Lillian Salerno, alongside Wisconsin State Director Julie Lassa, today visited the Laona Rescue Unit to highlight the impact of Agency investments that increase access to health care and public safety while spurring community development and building sound infrastructure for people living in rural areas.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA know that a strong community is rooted in the health and well-being of its people,” Acting Deputy Under Secretary Salerno said. “People everywhere, regardless of where they live, need access to affordable, quality, and timely healthcare. Investments for projects like Laona Rescue Unit demonstrates our commitment to expanding access to critical infrastructure and high-quality health care services for the people of Laona and the surrounding areas.”
Established in 1974, the Laona Rescue Unit or more locally known as the “Laona Rescue Squad,” serves six townships totaling nearly 4,000 regular residents – that number surging during peak returns of the “snowbirds” to the Nicolet National Forest. With a team of approximately 27 paid and volunteer emergency medical providers, the “Rescue Squad” covers a service area of more than 400 square miles – responding to an average of 500 calls per year[1].
The facility originally housing the “Rescue Squad” failed to pass building inspections a few years ago. The building owners determined that necessary improvements were not financially feasible and resulted in temporary reduction to their service area, rendering emergency ambulance services to area townships and Forest County Potawatomi Tribal reservation including the hotel and casino unattainable.
With help from a $2.1 million Rural Development Community Facilities Grant, the Laona Rescue Unit was able to construct a new Emergency Management System facility capable of housing six ambulance vehicles, provides classroom training space, a walk-in triage room, a dayroom kitchen and operations emergency command center. This new central facility that emergency providers graciously provided Salerno and Lassa a tour of, has allowed emergency services to return to the townships of Blackwell, Carter, Caswell, Laona, Ross and Wabeno, and the Forest County Pottawatomi Reservation.
Background: Community Facilities
More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. For more information, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program/wi.
Interested parties should contact their local Wisconsin Rural Development office for information about additional funding, application procedures and eligibility. Also see the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program Guidance Book for Applicants (PDF, 669 KB) for a detailed overview of the application process.
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/wi or contact the nearest USDA Rural Development office. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates in Wisconsin, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
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