Louisiana Rural Healthcare Organizations Get $4M in Funding

Rural hospitals have been struggling to keep their doors open since before the pandemic.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide Louisiana with over $4 million in relief funds to help build and renovate rural healthcare facilities across the state.

"We must ensure Louisiana families have access to quality, affordable healthcare," Cassidy said in the announcement. "This funding expands access to care in the region and further closes the rural health divide."  

Several established organizations will benefit from the funding. The grant will provide federal funding for constructing a rural health clinic for Union General Hospital. It will also provide funding to increase vaccine distribution and purchase telehealth equipment in rural areas of north Louisiana. The federal funding will also support Morehouse Community Medical Centers’ medical mobile unit in north Louisiana and be put toward the construction of a multi-purpose COVID-19 treatment center by
North Caddo Hospital Service District. Springhill Medical Center will use this grant to renovate its emergency room to provide patients with more adequate space and care, according to the announcement.

Rural hospitals have been struggling to keep their doors open since before the pandemic burdened the healthcare system. From 2010 to 2021 there were 136 rural hospital closures across the country, according to data from the American Hospital Association.

"While many hospitals and health systems are facing unprecedented challenges, those faced in rural America are unique," AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said in the report. "We must ensure that hospitals have the support and flexibility they need to continue to be providers of critical services and access points for patients and communities."