USDA launches website with resources to help rural communities address opioid crisis

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a website with resources to help rural communities fight the opioid epidemic. The website is one result of the recommendations presented to President Trump last month by the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity, which he had asked to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes to help rural America. It recommended, among other things, modernizing and improving health-care access.

The website includes links to three programs it says will help fight the opioid crisis: the Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program, which awards loans and grants that can be used to build or fix up important community facilities like hospitals, mental health clinics, and more; the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants Program, which awards grants that can be used to buy and install broadband equipment used for telemedicine; and the Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program, which awards grants for projects to develop or implement health education programs.

The website also showcases three health care facilities around the country that are employing best practices for helping combat the opioid crisis, as well as links to a slew of relevant federal programs in different departments.