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

Search Results: 47 Stories
Smiling woman named Lisa Fensick standing in front of a new ambulance she helped obtain for her fire station.

Rural Healthcare Worker Lisa Fensick: An Everyday Hero Saving Lives

First responders are often on the front lines of health care, and their impact to rural communities has been immeasurable. For Lisa Fensick of Seaford, Delaware, this impact drove her desire to become a nationally registered Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT). “I became a… [Read More]
Delaware, Maryland, and District of Columbia (DC)
First RespondersHealth CareRural Development
Walworth County Care Center staff photo

Center Keeps Selby Citizens Safe

Nestled on Selby's eastern edge sits the Walworth County Care Center. The center originally opened in the 1960s and has served the area’s 5,300 residents for over six decades. But in 2018, the owners of the center deemed it unprofitable and notified staff the facility would be… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesHealth CareRural Development
Cooperative developers and members of home care cooperatives gather at the National Home Care Cooperative Conference. Group of smiling people standing in a large open room.

Strength in Members: Cooperative Home Care Resiliency in a Time of Crisis

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, home care cooperatives were a beacon of hope for overburdened health care workers and the industry that faced its breaking point. Many workers who wanted a stake in the day-to-day operations turned to the cooperative business model, which allows… [Read More]
Virginia
CooperativesGrantsHealth CareRural Development
Community hospital new wing of building

Community Hospital Completes $16 Million Renovation with Assistance from USDA Rural Development & Thayer County Bank

Community Hospital in McCook, Nebraska recently completed an addition and remodel of their facilities with a $16 million investment from USDA Rural Development (RD) and Thayer County Bank. The work took four years to complete and was finished in August 2022.  The hospital… [Read More]
Nebraska
Community FacilitiesHealth CareRural Development
Day County Ambulance

Day County receives Rural Development Grant to purchase ambulance service

Located in the northeastern corner of South Dakota sits a county dotted with lakes, ponds and rolling hills. Agriculture plays an important role in the economy, and when summer and fall arrive, Day County sees its population more than double as anglers, hunters and outdoorsmen… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersGrantsHealth Care
Nurse in a healthcare facility

Rural Healthcare Spotlight: Livingston HealthCare

Livingston HealthCare is a 125,000 square-foot critical access hospital in Livingston Montana.  In 2015, they utilized USDA Rural Development the Community Facility Direct Loan and Grant program to secure funding for a new facility which serves Park County’s rural… [Read More]
Montana
Health Care
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]
North Dakota
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]
North Carolina
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]
Pennsylvania
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]
South Dakota
Distance LearningHealth Care

Additional Success Stories