The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has awarded $23 million to Box Butte General Hospital under their Community Facilities Direct Loan Program. Leveraged funds of $8 million from Box Butte County and more than $3.3 million from the hospital will also be utilized. The funding will construct a 79,000 square foot two story addition to the west side of the current hospital.
“Box Butte General Hospital has been delivering quality healthcare for more than 36 years and USDA Rural Development is proud to be a part of this exciting expansion that will enhance the services to the community and surrounding area,” said Area Specialist Natalie Furrow, USDA Rural Development. “USDA Rural Development has supported the new construction, expansion and equipment needs of 21 critical access hospitals in the state since fiscal year 2008.”
“Box Butte General Hospital is very fortunate to receive the loan from USDA Rural Development for our ‘Building Project’. The support of this project is crucial to our region. The USDA funding shows its commitment to ensuring our rural community has a superior healthcare facility that provides the quality healthcare our community needs,” said Board Chairman David W. Briggs, Box Butte General Hospital Board of Trustees.
The hospital addition will house a 25 bed inpatient care unit, including obstetrics space. A new surgery suite will feature two general, one orthopedic and two endoscopy rooms with space for pre and postoperative care. Also included are imaging and emergency departments, an intensive care unit and a pharmacy. The unfinished basement area will allow for future growth. Renovations will be made to the 13,000 square feet vacated by the current surgery and obstetrics departments for the new rehabilitation department. The funding package will also refinance the 2009 general obligation bond.
Established in 1976, Box Butte General Hospital has undergone several expansion projects creating challenges in design inefficiencies. The original building requires major electrical upgrades along with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) improvements and the original structure is not Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. Staffing growth has risen from 75 employees in 1976 to nearly 300 at present. The hospital design is not able to allow for the changing health care needs and regulations in place today.
USDA funding was provided through the USDA Rural Development Community Facility Direct Loan program. For additional information contact Natalie Furrow at Natalie.furrow@ne.usda.gov; or phone (308) 534-2360 ext. 1129.
Visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/NEHome.html.
For additional information on RD projects, please visit Rural Development’s new interactive web map featuring program funding and success stories for fiscal years 2009-2011. The data can be found at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RDSuccessStories.html.
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. President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are committed to a smarter use of Federal resources to foster sustainable economic prosperity and ensure the government is a strong partner for businesses, entrepreneurs and working families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, has an active portfolio of more than $172 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.