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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 10 Stories
A hallway at a rural elementary school shows snowpants and boots across from a wall of blue lockers.

Distance Learning Grant Provides Window to the World for Rural Students

Halfway between Park Falls and Ashland is the rural community of Mellen, population 698. Nestled between the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and nearby Copper Falls State Park, this small community is humming with activity on an early Monday morning in March.Students are… [Read More]
Wisconsin
Community CollegesDistance LearningEducationRural DevelopmentRural Partners Network
Two patients exercise in the telehealth cardio rehab room at Benson Hospital.

Health Care Closer to Home – It’s Good for the Heart

In Arizona, Benson Hospital’s telehealth services cut a 100-mile round trip to metropolitan Tucson, allowing residents to focus on what matters most – their health. Before the pandemic, telehealth was nearly nonexistent in Graham and Cochise County, forcing rural Arizonans in… [Read More]
Arizona
Distance LearningGrantsHealth CareTechnology
Danny Dehaze, Executive Director of Infrastructure, leading a session on instructional technology at the Fall 2023 Faculty In-Service, discussing the Zoom room hubs, new classroom technology, student information systems, and other service items

Columbia Gorge Community College Goes the Distance with Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant

When Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) decided to expand its distance learning opportunities in December of 2019, the project was considered ambitious. By March 2020, the project was essential.  The goal was simple at first. With the aid of a USDA Rural Development… [Read More]
Oregon
Community CollegesDistance LearningEducation
Teachers from several schools in Johnston County, NC, participate in training utilizing Distance Learning equipment purchased through USDA Rural Development.

Rural Development Assisting College Bound with Distance Learning

Once Upon a Time, a student had to graduate high school before attending college. Now with the assistance of a $499 thousand Distance Learning Telemedicine Grant from USDA Rural Development students in Johnston County, North Carolina, may be well on their way to completing an… [Read More]
North Carolina
Distance LearningHealth Care
A professor at Beaufort County Community College presents a class on American History. Utilizing a $329 thousand Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant from USDA Rural Development BCCC is able to serve its population that stretches to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

BCCC & USDA RD Expanding the Reach of Higher Education

Beaufort County Community College serves a rural population of traditional and high school students who are all working towards a degree.Many rural students have the convenience of being able to easily travel to their classes.The barriers of the miles of ocean and remote… [Read More]
North Carolina
Distance Learning
Avera Health photo

Pioneering Innovative Ways of Service and Infrastructure Development for Rural Areas

With the passage of time, rural areas continue to have challenges.  Lack of infrastructure, distance to services, and a qualified workforce continue to plaque rural health care facilities. In the eastern corner of the state of South Dakota, a strong telehealth network is… [Read More]
South Dakota
Distance LearningHealth Care
Telemedicine

Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Helps Schools, Students and Parents

The School-Based TeleHealth (SBTH) program is a collaboration between Richland County School District One (RCSD 1) and Prisma Health-Midlands to provide education and health care services in the Lower Richland Community.  This project serves some of the neediest families in… [Read More]
South Carolina
Distance LearningHealth Care
Gonzales DLT

Grant Provides Rural Hospital With Cutting Edge Technology

A $300,000 Distance and Learning  Telemedicine Grant from USDA Rural Development has provided a rural Gonzales hospital with cutting edge radiology technology not usually available in rural Texas hospitals. With the equipment upgrade, the Gonzales   Hospital… [Read More]
Texas
Distance Learning
Rural Mississippi

Vital Healthcare Brought to Rural Mississippi via TelEmergency

With the exception of major population areas where patients have nearby access to hospitals and clinics, almost all Mississippi residents who live outside of cities and large towns live in counties that are otherwise rural, and lacking any nearby hospitals or clinics. These… [Read More]
Mississippi
Distance LearningHealth Care
Olglala Lakota College photo

Taking the Student Experience to the Next Level

Oglala and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes’ members can attend college without driving long distances thanks in part to USDA financing. The funds will enable residents in remote, rural parts of the state to participate in a variety of classes at Oglala Lakota College (OLC). USDA… [Read More]
South Dakota
Distance Learning

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