The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to invest nearly $50 million in eLearning and Telehealth across the country. Indiana has received grant dollars in the past, but the competition is stiff.
Communities could soon see the benefits of federal grant dollars allocated to support a number of distance learning initiatives.
Christopher McLean is the Acting Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service with the USDA. He hopes the grants will help assist communities that might not have the infrastructure to support eLearning and telehealth operations.
"To be able to support distance learning projects, which will connect rural schools and telemedicine projects which will connect networks of rural healthcare facilities," McLean says.
While several types of proposals will be accepted, the USDA says they'll be funneling more funding toward projects that address the opioid epidemic and America's declining resources for students in science and math programs.