Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 111 projects in 35 states have been selected to receive more than $34.9 million in grants that will increase educational opportunities and access to health care services in rural areas. The funding will be provided through USDA Rural Development’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Five projects in Texas have been selected to receive $1,443,395.
These funds are part of USDA’s annual budget and are not part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The following is a list of Texas recipients:
•Coastal Bend College will receive $193,786 to enable their Distance Learning and Allied Health Training Project to high schools located in Benavides, Karnes City, Pettus, Skidmore and Woodsboro.
•Region XIV Education Center, located in Abilene, will receive $500,000 to provide high definition video conferencing systems to 42 school districts located in 13 counties which enable them to provide staff development programs for teachers and expand student developed video projects.
•Education Service Center District 9 will receive $336,024 to provide distance learning opportunities to 13 school districts in Region 9, Palacios High School in Region 3 and Crystal City ISD in Region 20.
•Riveria ISD will receive $179,754 to connect 492 students in Kleberg County to a regional education network operated out of the Education Service Center in Corpus Christi.
•Brazos Valley Community Action Agency, Inc. will receive $233,831 to support a telemedicine project to provide health and educational services to patients and residents at Community Health Centers in Grimes, Leon, Madison and Robertson Counties.
To view the press release: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/11/0568.xml
