CROSBY - St. Luke's Hospital in Crosby has been selected to receive a $5.8 million loan through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, USDA Rural Development State Director Jasper Schneider announced Tuesday.
The financing will allow the hospital to enhance emergency room services and improve patient flow, improve patient security and safety, and increase efficiency in the facility's heating and cooling system.
"The current facility was built in 1964, and needs extensive remodeling. This financing will allow the hospital to address many of those issues," Schneider said.
"If we're going to have a workforce in Northwest North Dakota, and if we're going to have a population center in Northwest North Dakota, they need the basics. They need access to quality health care. That's what this hospital is going to provide, not only for the current generation, but for many generations to come," he added.
The St. Luke's Hospital financing was one of many projects announced Tuesday by the USDA, with another $140.4 million in federal funds being provided to various community facilities projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. USDA has announced $477.6 million in Recovery Act funding for community facility projects to date.
"We're coming up on almost a year anniversary of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This project in Crosby wouldn't have been able to happen without stimulus funds. This is a project that people can point to and say, these are stimulus funds hard at work in North Dakota," Schneider said.
Schneider said the total estimated cost for the project in Crosby is $7.5 million.
The funding announced Tuesday is being provided through the USDA Rural Development's Community Facilities Program, which helps finance essential community facilities for public use in rural areas. These facilities include childcare centers, hospitals, medical clinics, assisted living facilities, fire and rescue stations, police stations, community centers, public buildings and transportation.