USDA Awards $6 Million for Rural Telehealth

Rural areas in six states will get $6 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help finance 10 telehealth projects. The projects will deliver health and education services to rural areas currently lacking adequate healthcare in the Delta region.

Rural areas in six states will get $6 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help finance 10 telehealth projects. The projects will deliver health and education services to rural areas currently lacking adequate healthcare in the Delta region.

Eligible healthcare organizations and institutions of research and higher education will get those grants under the Rural Development's Delta Health Care Services Grant Program. The funds will address unmet health needs in the Delta region, which comprises the 252 counties and parishes within the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee that are served by the Delta Regional Authority.

"Today's funding can help improve the health of rural residents who live in the south central portion of the country," Agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, said in a statement. "These projects can provide care to patients currently receiving no care at all and hopefully reduce the incidence of stroke, mental illness, and other health disorders in rural regions."...