U.S. SENATE– U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that $188,717 will be directed towards the Bighorn Valley Health Center to create a new Telehealth network addressing substance abuse. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the agency’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program.
“A strong telehealth network is vital to Montana’s rural communities,” Daines said. “This grant will boost our investments in rural development and help to increase access to limited primary care, oral health care, behavioral health care and substance abuse treatment.”
The program was reauthorized in the 2018 Farm Bill, which Daines fought for as the lone voice for Montana on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee during negotiations. Daines also sits on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee which has jurisdiction over the program’s funding.
In early May, Daines invited FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to Missoula to discuss the benefits and roadblocks of telehealth.
Daines will continue to be an advocate for telemedicine to increase access to care for Montana’s rural communities.
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