The United States Department of Agriculture awarded entities in north Florida and south Georgia with either a loan or a grant.
The USDA announced Wednesday the Clinch County Hospital Authority was awarded a Community Facilities Direct loan worth $4,789,000.
The Clinch County Hospital Authority oversees Clinch Memorial Hospital in Homerville, Georgia.
The city of Marianna in Jackson County, Florida was awarded a $1,713,500 grant as part of the USDA's Community Facilities Disaster grant program.
The city of Pavo, which sits on the county line between Thomas and Brooks counties in Georgia, was awarded a $19,200 USDA Community Facilities grant.
The payouts are part of the USDA’s Community Facilities Loan/Grant Program.
The USDA says it made a $1 billion investment to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states plus U.S. territories Puerto Rico and Guam.
According to the news release, the infrastructure funding is expected increase access to health care, education and public safety while spurring community development and building sound infrastructure for people living in rural communities.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made investing in infrastructure improvements a top priority,” United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh said in a statement. “These loans and grants will help rural communities invest in facilities and services that are vital to all communities, such as health care facilities, schools, libraries, and first responder vehicles and equipment. When we invest in essential services in rural America, we build opportunity and prosperity for the people who call rural communities home.”
More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes.
Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.
