WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement announcing that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program is awarding the state of Nevada grants totaling $226,348 to be used for educational and health benefits. Rosen has been an advocate for the program since entering Congress.
“By giving Nevada’s rural communities much needed access to cutting edge technology, we are providing our communities the tools, education, and information they need for a healthier life,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m glad to see these funds that I formally requested from appropriators go toward providing much-needed resources to Nevada’s rural communities. I will continue working to support investments in our state, and programs like telehealth that improve Nevadans’ access to care.”
BACKGROUND: This grant will be used to fund the installation of video-interactive equipment at four locations in Elko and Lyon counties, aiding in opioid prevention, treatment and recovery through telecommunication-enabled equipment and other advanced technologies for students, teachers, medical professionals and rural residents. These services will be available to over 10,000 Nevadans in these locations.
This Congress, Senator Rosen led a group of a dozen Senators in an appropriations request to the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, highlighting the benefits of the DLT grant program and requesting continued funding in Fiscal Year 2020. Last Congress, then-Congresswoman Rosen sent a similar bipartisan appropriations request to the House Appropriations Committee in support of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program. Since 1994, the DLT grant program has helped to establish hundreds of distance learning and telemedicine systems, improving the quality of life for thousands of residents in rural communities all across the United States.
###
