A federal grant of over $800,000 is helping to keep a clinic group running in rural Tennessee, with the government money described as a "game-changer" by the facilities' director, according to a report on local ABC affiliate wate.com.
The $804,600 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development is for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge based in East Tennessee. The money will primarily benefit the two clinic locations in Briceville and Harriman, the report said.
With funding from other sources totaling $622,365, the overall investment including the federal grant is over $1.46 million, clinic director Bill Edmonds told wate.com. The clinic provides free medical care to over 14,000 low-income and uninsured people in the area.
"The USDA Emergency Rural Health Care Grant has been a game-changer for our underserved rural communities," Mr. Edmonds said. "The funding from this grant will help fuel our mission, especially in Harriman and Briceville, as we serve unmet medical needs to those that can't afford it; especially during this COVID pandemic."
The funding will help to lessen the persistent danger of COVID-19 hospitalizations through improved vaccination programs, which will be strengthened by the purchase of two vehicles designed to offer vaccination and testing services.
Tennessee is second in the nation for rural hospital closures, the director of a medical mission told wate.com.