USDA Announces $10.5 Million in Additional Funding for Harrison County Hospital

USDA Rural Development Missouri State Director Kyle Wilkens announced Friday an investment of $10.5 million in additional funds to Harrison County Community Hospital District in Bethany, Missouri. Funds from the Community Facilities Loan Grant Program will go to serve critical care needs for three neighboring rural counties: Daviess, Harrison, and Mercer.

“Winter is cold and flu season, and a reminder of how important quality local healthcare is for folks in rural Missouri,” Wilkens said. “I couldn't be more pleased to announce our partnership to help construct a modern healthcare facility with the Harrison County Community Hospital District. This is what Missouri USDA Rural Development is all about, prioritizing federal investment to serve the needs in smaller communities.” Wilkens concludes.

This Rural Development investment will be used to construct a new hospital for the Harrison County Community Hospital District in Bethany, Missouri. The new facility will replace the existing hospital with 76,000 square-foot critical access hospital with a 14-bed acute care and swing-bed unit.  There will be 10 private patient rooms, including one patient isolation room and two semi-private rooms. The emergency department will include two trauma/isolation rooms, three exam rooms, and triage rooms complimenting the emergency department. The new hospital will ensure the district is able to provide world class healthcare services to the community.

Denver Farm, Maryville Business Get USDA Money

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas Friday announced that USDA is awarding a total of $1,333,498 in grants (PDF, 141 KB) to rural Missouri farmers, ag producers, businesses, and institutions.

“USDA Rural Development is committed to supporting rural businesses make climate-smart decisions,” Thomas said. “Investments like the 61 announced today provide access to renewable energy and help make needed energy efficiency improvements, ultimately assisting Missouri farmers, ag producers, and small businesses lower their cost of energy.”

A Denver farm and a Maryville business benefited from this round of investments. Tracy Farms of Denver got a $20,000 grant to purchase and install a grain dryer, which the USDA says will save the farm $10,319 per year and replace 9,725 kilowatt hours, or 82.8% of the farm’s energy use per year.

The other local recipient was Woodruff-Arnold of Maryville. They received a $20,000 grant to purchase and install a solar array, which the USDA says will save the business $10,455 a year and replace 116,167 kilowatt hours per year, or 97.86 of the company’s energy use, which is enough energy to power 10 homes.

USDA is investing in 61 renewable energy and efficiency projects in Missouri through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Recipients can use REAP funding for a variety of needs such as conducting energy audits, installing renewable energy systems, and to make energy efficiency improvements. 

Residents in Gentry, Nodaway Counties to Gain Telehealth Access

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $1,621,242 to help rural Missourians gain access to healthcare. 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. This includes $718,613 provided through the CARES Act.

“These projects will allow three Missouri entities to establish or expand telemedicine networks that will ultimately improve rural Missourians’ access to much-needed, close to home, quality healthcare,” said Acting State Director Thomas. “These investments by the Biden administration are a prime example of Rural Development’s mission—improving the quality of life for rural Americans.”

USDA is funding projects through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program. The program helps rural education and health care entities remotely reach students, patients and outside expertise. These capabilities make world-class education and health care opportunities accessible in rural communities. The ability to use telehealth resources is critical, especially now during a global pandemic.

Heartland Regional Medical Center will use a $902,629 grant to expand its telemedicine capabilities in Buchanan, Gentry and Nodaway counties. The telemedicine services will help physicians and crisis responders to spend less time traveling to rural communities and more time treating patients. Rural residents will gain access to virtual hospital services, electronic intensive care units, and access to more than 70 categories of specialty care from more than 200 specialists. Behavioral health services, including emergency assessments and substance use treatment, also will be expanded through telehealth visits in partnership with a behavioral health provider in St. Joseph.

Friday’s announcement came as part of a larger statement in which Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA is investing $42.3 million to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities.

Missouri Agribusiness Revolving Loan Fund Refueled

On Thursday, the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority announced that its Agribusiness Revolving Loan Fund was awarded a $500,000 loan from USDA Rural Development to aid in economic improvements and job creation. As a result, MASBDA is recruiting loan applications for agribusinesses located in communities of less than 50,000 residents. Due to COVID-19, MASBDA is currently offering a fixed interest rate of 4%.

“The MASBDA Board of Directors is excited to see this critical loan fund continue for our agribusinesses during such a vital time.” Said Jill Wood, executive director of MASBDA. “Agribusinesses are the backbone of our rural communities and we are hopeful this program can provide them a strategic opportunity to grow and thrive.”

Agribusinesses may qualify if they are value-added agriculture enterprises, agriculture support businesses, marketers or retailers of agricultural products, and businesses with emerging agricultural technology. The fund may provide financing for up to 75% of a project’s cost with a maximum loan of $112,000, depending on the borrower’s lien status.

Funds may be used for costs associated with starting, acquiring, operating or expanding a qualifying agribusiness, including but not limited to:

–Business construction, expansion, repair, modernization or development;

–Purchase of land, buildings, machinery, or supplies;

–Startup costs and working capital;

–Pollution control and abatement;

–Fees rendered by professional services as it relates to the business, including feasibility and marketing studies, legal fees, etc.

The Agribusiness Revolving Loan Fund was created in 2010 by a partnership between MASBDA and USDA through the USDA Intermediary Relending Program. The fund received additional IRL support in 2015. 

For more information on the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority, please visit MASBDA.com. To contact a member of the MASBDA team, email masbda@mda.mo.gov or call (573) 751-2129.

Trump Administration Awards Development Grants to Area

The Trump Administration, along with Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Missouri Jeff Case, today announced 20 organizations statewide are being awarded a total of $1,068,984 to create jobs and increase economic opportunities throughout the state. Among them were three projects in the area.

USDA is awarding the grants through the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. Recipients may use the funds to provide technical assistance, training, and job-creation activities to small rural businesses. Among the recipients:

–Lettuce Dream, a nonprofit providing job and training opportunities for individuals with disabilities, will use an $18,422 grant to purchase new packaging, labeling, boxes, and marketing materials so it can enter a new retail market in Maryville, Mo.

–Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation will use a $19,973 grant to provide training and technical assistance for business development services for existing and new, emerging small businesses in a six-county region of northwest Missouri.

–The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, Inc. will use a $46,675 grant to provide training and technical assistance for business development services in northwest Missouri.