rural development

As May comes to a close, USDA reflects on recent activities to support small businesses nationwide. The first of the month marked the start of National Small Business Week 2022. In recognition of the observance, USDA’s national and state office leadership connected with small businesses in states and territories that have limited procurement activities. The goal was to highlight federal opportunities to help build and grow their businesses.

Rural Americans are on the frontlines of climate change impacts and increasingly severe weather that threatens their health, safety and livelihoods. That’s why USDA Rural Development stands ready to offer resources to help tackle the climate crisis, rebuild communities that have been hit by disaster and equip them with the tools to become more resilient than ever before.

The West is one of the most climate-sensitive areas in the United States. Rural communities in this region face additional challenges due to being naturally dry and prone to drought. In recent years, they have experienced earlier snowpack melt and more frequent wildfires.

It’s a human right to have access to clean water and reliable wastewater systems. USDA Rural Development finances projects to build strong infrastructure to help people in rural America thrive and create economic opportunities.

When rural communities lean into clean energy, the path to economic prosperity is clear. Cleaner power options like solar and electric provide new market opportunities for producers and small businesses. They reduce energy costs for consumers and supports good-paying jobs in rural America.

For people suffering from addiction, the chances of recovery are oftentimes only as good as the care they receive. And for decades, the Boxwood Recovery Center in Culpeper, Virginia struggled to provide the high-quality care it was capable of, as it operated out of a deteriorating former roadside motel and restaurant.

In 2013, Citizens Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Bolivar, Missouri experienced an overwhelming shortage of quality healthcare professionals. Simultaneously, its partner Bolivar Technical College (BTC) had outgrown its facility and had twice as many applicants as it had space for students.

Aging infrastructure and technology were taking their toll on the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital, now known as Hot Springs Health, in Thermopolis, Wyoming. However, with local demand and tourists on their way to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, patient levels were increasing. Community leaders and hospital officials needed to find a way to fund a hospital upgrade and expansion. If not, the hospital would have to shut down.

Having access to quality health care is often a problem for low-income patients who live in rural communities. Fortunately, there are medical facilities such as Sandhills Medical Foundation, Inc in Lugoff, South Carolina that work on a sliding fee scale, which means that all their patients, regardless of income level, can afford quality health care. However, this has also increased their number of patients over time, and it wasn’t long before they recognized that their Lugoff office was running out of space.

In December 2017, Steve Coetzee, President and CEO of the Fahrney-Keedy Memorial Home, realized many of the surrounding senior care facilities in Boonsboro, Maryland were closing and that his team would need to expand their facility to meet future demand. However, the home did not have the available funds to do so.