Report on Rural America

NEVADA:

VA: On August 17, Secretary Shinseki will host a rural roundtable near Las Vegas.  VA has made increased access to VA care in rural areas a top priority and the department continues to develop new ways to reach Veterans in rural parts of America.  VA has placed 10 community-based outpatient clinics throughout the state and established tele-health services aimed at meeting the needs of rural veterans. VA is expanding services in the Las Vegas Area with a new comprehensive VA medical center complex nearing completion in North Las Vegas that will have a $1.2 billion economic impact to the area and create 1,850 permanent medical jobs.

NEW MEXICO:

HUD:  On August 22, Secretary Shaun Donovan will visit a hospital under construction in Rio Rancho. A $143.4 million Section 242 mortgage insurance commitment was issued to finance the construction of the hospital in Rio Rancho, a suburb 20 miles northwest of Albuquerque. The new facility is affiliated with the University of New Mexico (UNM), UNM Hospital, the UNM Medical Group, and the UNM School of Medicine. The loan will finance a new 200,000-square foot, 68-bed state-of-the-art community teaching hospital with a high surgical case load on 20 acres of land.  At an interest rate of 6.0 percent, in comparison to an unenhanced bond interest rate of 7.7 percent, FHA insurance will save the hospital $64.7 million in interest expense over the life of the loan.  The construction project will support 1,877 FTEs in its community and provide an economic stimulus of $386.4 million during the construction period.  Following construction, the completed project will directly support 445 FTEs and provide a direct annual economic benefit of $85.8 million. 

NORTH CAROLINA:

DOE: On July 25, Secretary Steven Chu visited Celgard, an innovative and high-tech battery manufacturing company, in Concord.  Celgard recently expanded their existing manufacturing facility with support from the Recovery Act to create more than 200 jobs in rural North Carolina.  Celgard is one of the largest suppliers to the lithium battery industry, which are instrumental in increasing the capacity of electric drive vehicles and helping reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  Afterwards, the Secretary was joined by local business leaders at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte for a roundtable discussion on the growing clean energy industry in rural communities.  Like Celgard, the companies that Secretary met with are critical to our future: to pioneering and commercializing technologies that reduce our consumption of foreign oil and creating jobs and supporting economic growth. 

NORTH DAKOTA:

VA: On July 5, Secretary Shinseki held a rural event in Bismarck at the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic where he held a roundtable discussion to listen to local veterans and highlight the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to expand access to VA care, benefits, and services in rural America.