U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Missouri State Director, Kyle Wilkens, announced that the Department is awarding a $47 million loan through Community Facilities Loan & Grant Program to Harrison County Community Hospital District in Bethany, Missouri.
“Here at Rural Development, we utilize Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program to ensure rural communities in Missouri can offer dependable healthcare. Access to local quality healthcare is vital to Rural Missouri communities.” Director Wilkens stated, “We strive to assist rural Missouri whether it is healthcare, food pantry, or a new fire truck. The CF Loan and Grant Program is available to develop essential community facilities in rural areas.”
This Rural Development investment will be used to construct a new hospital for the Harrison County Community Hospital District in Bethany, Missouri. The new facility will replace the existing hospital with 76,000 square-foot critical access hospital with a 14-bed acute care and swing-bed unit. There will be 10 private patient rooms, including one patient isolation room and two semi-private rooms.
The emergency department will include two trauma/isolation rooms, three exam rooms, and triage rooms complimenting the emergency department. A 7,500-square-foot maintenance and storage building will be constructed as well. The new hospital will ensure the district can provide world-class healthcare services to the community.
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area and does not include private, commercial, or business undertakings.
