November 26, 2019 • Page 8 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com USDA Invests Over $1.6 Million In The Expansion Of Rural Education And Health Care Huron, SD - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development South Dakota State Director Julie Gross today announced that USDA is investing $1,664,940 for five projects in rural communities. USDA is providing the funding through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program. These investments will benefit over 729,000 rural residents in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “USDA is committed to being a partnering in building strong communities,” said Gross. “The funding will be used for cutting-edge technology, allowing rural residents to remain in their communities for healthcare, and improving educational opportunities that will increase operating efficiencies, and save lives. When rural America thrives, all of America thrives.” The projects funded include: • Oglala Lakota College will receive $499,999 to upgrade and expand a distance learning system. New equipment will be installed at ten locations in the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Reservations in Bennett, Dewey and Oglala Lakota counties in South Dakota. The project will improve educational opportunities for an estimated 11,000 residents. • Horizon Health Care, Inc. will receive $223,542 to purchase desktop telemedicine videoconferencing units. The project service area includes one hub site and 18 end-user sites in 15 South Dakota counties. The system will allow provision of behavioral health and substance abuse services to rural patients. The service area includes a population of 19,000. • Avera Health will receive $390,459 to enable them to provide medical specialists across all specialties to approximately 635,000 patients spanning 73 sites, across 35 counties in the four-state area of South Dakota, southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa, & northeast Nebraska. RD investments will bring interactive video and computer equipment for telemedicine consultations with specialty care providers in the medically underserved four-state rural region. • Avera Health will receive $454,960 to enable the Rural Emergency Access and Support Project to obtain telemedicine equipment for 35 rural facilities in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The equipment will improve health care access for 64,000 residents of 35 counties and will allow medical personnel access to educational training. Interactive video teleconferencing equipment will allow rural sites to connect to the Avera eCARE Emergency Service network for real-time assistance from board-certified emergency medicine specialists. • Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health Services will receive $95,980 to enable them to create a rural telemedicine network at 24 schools in 10 South Dakota counties. Hub sites will be in Yankton and Winner. Staff member travel time will be reduced. Gross’ announcement is in coordination with the recent announcement made by USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Donald “DJ” LaVoy who announced that USDA is investing $42.5 million in 133 distance learning and telemedicine projects in 37 states and two U.S. territories. Applicants eligible for Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants include most State and local governmental entities, federally-recognized tribes, nonprofits, for-profit businesses and consortia of eligible entities. In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Supporting the rural workforce was a cornerstone recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB). USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. South Dakota One Health Efforts Look at Antibiotic Use and Other Connections Between Animals and People BROOKINGS, S.D. - South Dakota One Health is a collaborative effort that promotes a deeper understanding of the connections between the health of people, animals and the environment. SDSU Extension is partnering with the Sanford USD Medical School, the South Dakota Department of Health, the South Dakota Animal Industry Board and Area Health Education Centers to provide educational opportunities surrounding different topics important to those who live and work in the state and region. Educational opportunities include semiannual seminars open to the public and an informational website. The seminars SantaLand Santa’s Workshop & Mrs. Claus’ Gingerbread House City Park in Creighton, NE Come Visit - Fun For The Whole Family Hours Open: SantaLand: Nov. 27-Dec. 31 - 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Santa’s Workshop and Mrs. Claus’ Gingerbread House: Nov. 30 to Dec 23 - 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm choose a One Health topic of interest to South Dakotans and enlist speakers and experts to explore both the human health and animal health aspects of the topic. They bring together people who are involved in human medicine, public health, veterinary medicine and animal production. Antibiotic use in people and animals, along with efforts to preserve the usefulness of these tools, were discussed at the most recent South Dakota One Health seminar held in September in Sioux Falls. “The emergence of bacteria resistant to front-line antibiotics in human medicine has shone a spotlight on antibiotic use in human and veterinary medicine,” said Russ Daly, SDSU Extension Veterinarian and State Public Health Veterinarian. “The issue has been contentious at times, with finger-pointing at livestock uses of antibiotics, typically by those not involved in animal agriculture, as well as at physician prescribing practices, usually by those involved in animal agriculture.” Attendees at the South Dakota One Health meeting, which were split almost evenly between people involved in animal health and human health, learned that there are many nuances to the uses of antibiotics, whether they’re prescribed for a child in an acute care clinic or for a finisher barn full of hogs. “The goal of the meeting was for people unfamiliar with antibiotic use and stewardship in either human or veterinary medicine, to learn about the challenges faced by practitioners on the ‘other side of the aisle’,” Daly said. “Attendees agreed that antibiotics are important tools to preserve for the future, in people and animals alike. Understanding the challenges faced by all who use these tools is the first step in working together toward that goal. One Health efforts such as the South Dakota seminar, are one way to enhance that understanding.” For the speaker lineup and presentations from the South Dakota One Health Antibiotic Use Meeting, visit the One Health archives website. Mrs. Claus’ Gingerbread House Grand Opening Saturday, November 30, 2019 from 6 pm to 9 pm. Sponsored By: The Creighton Area Chamber of Commerce, Local Business, and Other Organizations 5AM-8AM.................... $1 Off/Lb. Colby 8AM-10AM............ $.50 Off/Lb. Colby 10AM-EOD .......... $.30 Off/Lb. Colby • Drawing For 9 Piece Gift Box • 7AM-2PM....Bloody Mary Bar $8.50 Dimock Dairy Gift Boxes 16-$48 Gift Boxes $ We Ship For You! Discounts On Orders Over 50 Boxes Variety Gift Box 9 piece or 12 piece Small or Large Gift Box 4 piece or 6 piece J&H Cleaning Services ORDER EARLY! 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