USDA invests $42 million in distance learning and telemedicine infrastructure

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is investing $42.3 million to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. Rural areas are seeing higher infection and death rates related to COVID-19 due to several factors, including a much higher percentage of underlying conditions, difficulty accessing medical care, and lack of health insurance. The $42.3 million in awards includes $24 million provided through the CARES Act. In total, these investments will benefit 5 million rural residents.

“The Distance Learning and Telemedicine program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density,” USDA South Carolina Acting State Director for Rural Development Marty Bright-Rivera said.  “USDA is committed to working with the local communities to provide services which allows rural America equal access to quality healthcare and education, because we know when we work together, America prospers.”

A recent report by the Rural Policy Research Institute’s Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis found infection and death rates in rural America due to COVID-19 are 13.4 percent higher than in urban areas. A recent report from USDA’s Economic Research Service, USDA ERS – Rural Residents Appear to be More Vulnerable to Serious Infection or Death From Coronavirus COVID-19, underscored the challenges facing rural Americans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with even greater detail. Due to a confluence of factors, including higher percentages of underlying conditions, lack of health insurance, and lower access to medical facilities/care than urban counterparts, ERS analysts found rural Americans are suffering more severe illness or death due to COVID-19.

Below are projects announced in South Carolina today:

• The School District of Pickens County is receiving a $845,291grant. It will be used to establish distance learning systems and digital resources in seven rural communities in Pickens County. The system will deliver community support, dual-credit and foreign language courses; virtual field trips; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses; and professional development opportunities. It also will expand personalized learning for nearly 19,000 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

• Clinton College will use a $499,950 grant to establish a distance learning system to connect with libraries, churches and adult learning centers for residents in 12 counties in rural South Carolina. Funding will provide workforce-focused certificates and college degree programs to adult learners. In addition, North Carolina Central University School of Law will provide pre-law courses and free virtual legal clinics, which provide interactive training on civil

• The McLeod Regional Med Center of the Pee Dee will use a $697,674 grant to provide telehealth services to rural communities in Clarendon, Chesterfield, Marlboro and Lower Florence counties. Telehealth platforms will be installed at several public schools in the area to help students receive primary care visits and medication prescriptions. In addition, a platform will be placed in primary care offices in Manning and Cheraw to enable pulmonologists to perform remote visits on patients with lung ailments, helping them receive high-quality care from home.

• The Williamsburg County School District will use a $792,441 grant to establish a distance learning system to make dual enrollments available to students at colleges and universities in Williamsburg County. It will also expand Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives for 3,700 students and provide training for teachers in Greeleyville, Hemingway, Lanes, Kingstree, Salters and Stuckey.

To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office.