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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 their Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 42 Stories
Picture of McKenzie County Hospital

Partners in Mental Health for Rural North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. -- According to the North Dakota Behavioral Health Division, nearly 20% of adults in North Dakota suffer from challenges associated with mental illnesses. The importance of prioritizing mental health and working to reduce the stigma associated with seeking… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesHealth Care
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]
Distance LearningHealth Care
St. Luke's Carbon Hospital

Carbon County Gets a New Hospital

Carbon County Pennsylvania opened the doors to its newest hospital in 65 years on November 21, 2021. The trauma-4 facility is expected to treat about 50,000 emergency care patients a year, thanks to a $98.5 million Community Facilities direct USDA loan investment for the… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesHealth CareRural Development
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]
Distance LearningHealth Care
Peru Ambulance

Safety of Rural Nebraskans First with USDA

The city of Peru currently utilizes a 2004 Ford/Wheeled Coach ambulance as its primary and a 1991 Ford/Wheeled Coach as the back-up. The 1991 model has reached the end of its useful life. The 2004 model is two-wheel drive making it treacherous in bad weather, reducing the… [Read More]
Health Care
The Legacy

USDA Meeting the Health Care Needs of Nebraskans

Henderson Health Care Services' long term care facility, built in 1960, had reached the end of its useful life.  The electrical and mechanical systems were failing and out of date.  Electrical and data line infrastructure was an issue due to the advancement of modern… [Read More]
Health Care
Dakota Energy and Huron Regional Medical Center photo

Equipment Beneficial for Both Diagnosis and Therapy of Patients

The Huron Regional Medical Center has invested in new fluoroscopy equipment. Fluoroscopy is an imaging technique that uses x-rays to obtain real-time moving images of the interior of an object. The equipment allows a physician to see the internal structure and function of a… [Read More]
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentHealth Care

Rural Development project uses 3D printing in fight against COVID-19 spread

As Kentucky does its best to battle the spread of COVID-19, state and medical providers are looking for ways to answer the increasing need for medical personal protective equipment. One of those responding in a big way is a somewhat unlikely source: Somerset Community College,… [Read More]
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentHealth CareSmall Business
The state-of-the-art Curry General Hospital offers quality healthcare and expanded medical services in Gold Beach and the surrounding area.

A Rural Hospital Success Story

While stories abound about rural hospitals closing across the country, Curry General Hospital on the southern Oregon coast demonstrates how a rural hospital can expand and thrive. In Gold Beach, residents were served by a small, outdated facility that was built in the 1950s and… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesHealth Care
Valley Wide Health Clinic

Integrated Health Care comes to Canon City, Colorado

Integrated health care has come to Canon City.  No longer will patients have to travel from location to location to access services, thanks in part to a loan from USDA Rural Development. Valley-Wide Health Systems, Inc. has been in business since 1976 and has numerous… [Read More]
Health Care

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