Congresswoman Val Hoyle, Senator Wyden, and Senator Merkley Announce an Additional $1M for New Rural Health Clinic in South Lane County
Congresswoman Val Hoyle, Senator Wyden, and Senator Merkley Announce an Additional $1M for New Rural Health Clinic in South Lane County
Projected to open in Summer 2024, the new health center will serve over 9,500 patients in South Lane County and Northern Douglas County. The facility will include medical and dental clinics, a behavioral health practice, and Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities for local community college and high school students.
Cottage Grove, Oregon – Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced an additional $1 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development (USDA RD) to help build Lane County’s 6th Federally Qualified Health Center.
The additional federal funds are an Emergency Rural Health Care grant that will be combined with the $1.5 million in Federal Community Project Funding that was secured by former U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio and Senators Wyden and Merkley in 2022. In total, the new health clinic will bring in $2.5 million in federal investments.
“This clinic is bringing taxpayer dollars that we send to the federal government directly back into our communities to build healthcare infrastructure for generations. It brings much needed access to primary physical, mental, and dental health into South Lane County regardless of a person’s ability to pay,” said Representative Hoyle. “The partnership with Lane Community College will provide education and on the job training for those wanting a career in health care and create jobs in a field where we desperately need more workers. I’m thrilled to support services that build healthier communities while creating economic opportunity in rural Oregon.”
“I have been hearing at my town halls all over the state about the dire need for quality care—medical, dental, mental and behavioral health care—close to home,” Wyden said. “I am gratified to see this project fulfilling a crucial need in South Lane County and Northern Douglas County for nearly 10,000 Oregonians, including partnering with local high schools and Lane Community College to build a solid health care workforce pipeline. This project will go a long way toward creating good jobs and supporting the health of these rural communities for generations to come.”
“As I hold town halls across the state, I hear from Oregonians everywhere I go about healthcare challenges in their communities, with rural Oregonians especially facing barriers to accessing the care they need,” Merkley said. “This federal funding will help bring a long-sought primary care clinic to South Lane County. The facility will not only provide thousands of rural Oregonians with the medical, dental, and other essential services they need all in one place, but it will also increase education and career opportunities to help address the shortage of healthcare workers in the state. I look forward to seeing how this new clinic will make a huge difference in the lives of so many Oregonians for years to come.”
The new clinic will be located inside Lane Community College (LCC) at 1275 South River Road in Cottage Grove and will include an 8,000 sq ft primary medical clinic with ten exam rooms and a procedure room. The 1,600 sq. ft dental clinic will include three dental stations, two private operating rooms, and a dental lab. Project funds will include building ADA-compliant entrances and rooms. Lane County will operate and provide health services through a long-term lease agreement.
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