BISMARCK, N.D., March 1, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director Erin Oban today announced the Department is investing over $25 million to improve rural health care in North Dakota.
“The expansion and renovation project at Northwood Deaconess Health Center is a perfect example of small-town leaders and the federal government working together to invest in the lives of our families, friends, and neighbors and the future of our rural communities,” said Oban. “Achieving greater access to quality health care is a challenge, and our rural communities experience that strain more than most. Improving and maintaining health care facilities and providers for rural residents improves health care outcomes for individuals and families, supports critical jobs for health care professionals, and enhances the quality of life in or near their hometowns.”
Background:
USDA is investing in Northwood Deaconess Health Center through the Community Facilities Program. This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial, or business undertakings.
Northwood Deaconess Health Center will use a $25,302,000 loan to add an addition and renovate their current facility. The updated facility will include major renovations to the hospital, including the emergency room, procedure suite, imaging, lab, pharmacy, and business office. The hospital addition will provide for 25 beds, of which nine will be acute care beds and 16 will be swing beds to provide senior living space. The clinic will undergo some renovations to the existing waiting/reception area and the business office area. There will be a new entry canopy off the east facade with a renovated patient registration and waiting area for combined use by the hospital, procedures, imaging, lab, clinic, and physical therapy, as well as the business office. There will be a new addition for rehab and a community wellness center. The existing dining and activities area of the senior living space will be renovated to provide conference space and admin space. Based on the proposed construction, there will be the ability to add the following much needed services: computerized tomography scanning, endoscopy, colonoscopy, infusion, and potential future services of mammography, dermatology, and orthopedics.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety, and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal, and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/nd.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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