Hospitals in Marengo, Sumter counties receive USDA grants

Hospitals in Marengo and Sumter counties were among organizations that received grants from theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Alabama Office of Rural Development.

In Marengo County, the Tombigbee Healthcare Authority will use a $910,000 grant to replace the Whitfield Regional Hospital’s boiler system. The previous boiler system suffered a mechanical failure, requiring the hospital to rent a replacement at great expense. This investment will allow the hospital to own the boiler and save money.

The City of York Healthcare Authority, which operates Hill Hospital of York in Sumter County, will use a $114,000 grant to purchase a vehicle to transport clinical staff and a utility truck to transport equipment to vaccination sites infectious diseases. The hospital will also purchase medical supplies and videoconferencing equipment.

The grants, announced last week by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, were made possible by the American Rescue Plan’s Emergency Rural Health Care Grants Program and will benefit nearly 200,000 rural residents in 10 Alabama counties. Rep. Sewell was the only member of the Alabama Congressional Delegation to vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan.

“Since coming to Congress, I have made it a top priority to improve access to quality, affordable health care in rural Alabama, which is why I proudly voted to deliver historic relief to our rural health care providers through the American Rescue Plan,” Sewell said. “This transformational funding will impact hundreds of thousands of rural Alabamians and will equip providers with the tools they need to provide lifesaving care.”

In addition to the grants in Marengo and Sumter counties, grants were awarded to health care providers in Pike, Franklin, Tallapoosa, Bullock, Butler, Geneva, Marion and Washington counties.