USDA Offers $60M in Funding for Telehealth, Distance Learning

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making approximately $60 million in funding available through its Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program.

The program helps rural communities acquire and use advanced telecommunications technology for distance learning and telehealth services. The grants fund audio and video equipment, broadband facilities, and computer hardware, network components, and software.

The program is open to eligible organizations providing education or healthcare in rural communities with populations of 20,000 or fewer. The organizations eligible include state and local governments, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, and incorporated for-profit businesses.

The USDA is seeking grant applications that aim to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities, including reducing the impact of and increasing resilience to climate change and helping rural communities recover economically through market opportunities and improved infrastructure.

The agency has already granted $1.82 million to three healthcare provider organizations in Iowa through the DLT program to increase access to education, training, and healthcare resources.

Clarinda Regional Health Center received a $399,670 grant to implement telehealth platforms at two hub/end-user and eight end-user sites in Page, Montgomery, and Taylor counties in Iowa and Lancaster County in Nebraska. Belmond Community Hospital will use a $463,644 grant to equip five hub/end-user sites, one end-user site, and multiple non-fixed locations throughout Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, and Wright counties with telehealth computer software, cybersecurity software, and at-home devices for telehealth appointments.

Wayne County Hospital received $960,151, which it will use to provide telehealth carts and other equipment at one hub site, three hub/end-user sites, and three end-user sites in Wayne, Polk, and other south central Iowa counties to establish an electronic intensive care unit and tele-pharmacy program.

“Modern hospital services are essential to quality of life in rural neighborhoods, and these grants announced today enable rural patients to access medical professionals without leaving home,” said Theresa Greenfield, USDA’s rural development state director in Iowa, in a press release.

Applications for DLT grants are open through April 29, 2024.

Access to telehealth in rural America is challenging, with many areas facing digital divide-related issues. As telehealth use skyrocketed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal agencies have invested funds and resources in expanding telehealth access.

In addition to the DLT funds, the USDA awards rural healthcare providers funding to enhance their telehealth capabilities through Emergency Rural Health Care Grants.

This grants program, made available through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, earmarked $475 million to support rural hospitals and providers. In 2022, the USDA provided $43 million to 93 rural healthcare organizations and community groups across 22 states.

Not only that, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has invested millions over the years in boosting broadband connectivity.

Prior research has shown that rural residents were just as likely as their urban counterparts to own and utilize digital health tools. However, they faced internet access barriers and had lower odds of using digital health tools for communicating with providers.

In 2021, the FCC announced plans to authorize more than $700 million in funding to boost internet connectivity in rural areas. Fifty broadband providers received the funds, which were used to bring their services to more than 400,000 locations across 26 states, including Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, North Dakota, Oregon, Montana, Indiana, and New York.