Alert

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement that it will invest $285,150 in grant funding and $48,600 in loan funding to improve opioid-related services in rural Missouri. The funding is awarded through the USDA’s Community Facilities program, which provides funding to develop and enhance community facilities in rural areas.

“Missourians in rural areas often lack the same access to opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery programs found in urban or suburban areas,” said Blunt. “The Community Facilities program provides much-needed resources to help rural communities address the unique challenges they face, whether it’s decreasing emergency response times or improving opioid treatment programs and services. I’ll continue supporting the USDA’s efforts to ensure rural communities have every tool they need to address this crisis.”

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Blunt helped secure an increase for the Community Facilities program in the 2018 omnibus bill. The Farm Bill, which Blunt supported, reauthorizes the program and prioritizes funding for the development of community facilities that provide substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

Following Are the Projects Included in Today’s USDA Announcement:

• Big Springs Medical Association, Southeast Missouri: A total of $59,400 in grant funding and $48,600 in loan funding will be used to buy three cars and one van to be used by the Urgent Care Opioid Medical team to serve opioid misuse patients in a seven-county area. More than 100,000 county residents will be served.
  
  
• Great Mines Health Center, Washington County: The $150,000 rural development investment will be used to purchase equipment and furniture for an outpatient substance and alcohol misuse treatment and recovery center in Washington County.
  
  
• Queen City Housing Association, Schuyler County: The $3,750 in funding will be used to purchase locking medicine cabinets to be installed in a multi-family housing complex.
  
  
• West Carter County Ambulance Association, Carter County: The $72,000 investment will be used to purchase an ambulance to serve western Carter County. It will shorten the transport time to the hospital and help reduce death rates associated with opioid misuse. The ambulance will serve 2,900 permanent residents and thousands of national forest visitors.