3 Indiana cities to receive $1M in federal emergency health care grants
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A government leader says it’s awarding more than $1 million in Emergency Rural Health Care Grants to improve health care facilities and help expand critical services in three parts of Indiana.
The recipients are LifeSpring Inc. of Charlestown; the Perry County Memorial Hospital in Tell City; and the city government of Peru, said a news release issued Tuesday from Dr. Terry Goodin, Indiana state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
The amount of each grant was not provided in the release, but it provided information on how the grants are to be spent.
LifeSpring, a provider of integrated behavioral health and primary care services in southern Indiana, will renovate a building to become a medical clinic for primary care, vaccine distribution, testing, and behavioral health care services to the Ohio River city of 8,400 residents that’s a Louisville, Kentucky, suburb.
The hospital in Tell City will renovate part of its clinic to create a separate entrance for COVID-19 patients, and establish a way to administer testing and vaccinations via people who arrive in vehicles. The renovation also will add three exam rooms, an accessible restroom, an improved lab space and a dedicated nurses’ station. Tell City is an Ohio River city of 7,400 that’s about halfway between Louisville, Kentucky, and Evansville.
Peru officials will buy an ambulance with their grant. Peru is a city of 10,800 residents that’s about a 90-minute drive north of downtown Indianapolis.
Statements
“USDA Rural Development promotes a healthy community and environment through grants to make sure rural Hoosier families and individuals have access to the health care they need USDA’s Emergency Rural Health Care Grants program play a key role in strengthening rural America’s health care infrastructure and building capacity for the future.
“Because we know a strong community is rooted in its people. Rural Hoosier towns are a gathering place where first responders put people’s safety first and hospitals care for everyone. These solutions will build a stronger, more sustainable rural health care system for Indiana’s small towns and communities.”
Dr. Terry Goodin, Indiana state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.