New U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants, which provide rural communities with advanced telecommunications technology include $952,388 in funding to help Germanna Community College reach 5,372 students.
The funds will equip 10 locations in Spotsylvania, Stafford, Orange, Culpeper, Wise, Page, and Madison counties with video conferencing equipment. Instructors at Germanna will use it to deliver mental health and healthcare educational courses to benefit tue rural students.
“Virginia is facing a critical shortage of healthcare and mental and behavior health professionals and this shortage is especially impactful in our rural communities, said Taylor Landrie, Getmanna Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives. “The distance learning and telemedicine grant will allow us to equip our classrooms and locations at partnering institutions with state of the art distance learning technology so we can expand healthcare and behavioral health training to more students in rural areas.
“We’re looking forward to working with our partners to serve more students pursuing careers in healthcare and mental and behavioral health,” Landrie said.
Wesley Kinsey, Germanna Interim Dean of Academic Technology and Learning Support, said, “We’re excited to continue to increase educational opportunities for underserved students and connect them to potentially life-changing healthcare training and careers.
“This grant is an investment in the health and well-being of rural communities across Virginia, and it will allow Germanna to continue to serve students across the Commonwealth in their pursuit of a brighter future,” Kinsey said..”We look forward to working with our partners to serve our students with new technology and opportunities.”
In total, the USDA telemedicine instruction grants amount to $2,483,817 for the Commonwealth to provide distance learning services for rural areas, reaching 197,010 students remotely.
