The United States Department of Agriculture (Usda) is investing $42.3m in distance learning and telemedicine infrastructure to improve education and health outcomes.

The aim is to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. Rural areas are seeing higher infection and death rates related to Covid-19 due to several factors, including a much higher percentage of underlying conditions, difficulty accessing medical care and lack of health insurance.

The $42.3m includes $24m provided through the Cares Act. In total, these investments will benefit five million rural residents.

“The coronavirus pandemic is a national emergency that requires a historic federal response,” said the US government’s agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack. “These investments by the Biden Administration will help millions of people living in rural places access health care and education opportunities that could change and save lives. Usda is helping rural America build back better using technology as a cornerstone to create more equitable communities. With health care and education increasingly moving to online platforms, the time is now to make historic investments in rural America to improve quality of life for decades to come.”

A recent report by the Rural Policy Research Institute’s Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis found infection and death rates in rural America due to Covid-19 were 13.4 per cent higher than in urban areas. A recent report from Usda’s Economic Research Service showed rural residents appearing to be more vulnerable to serious infection or death from Covid-19. Due to a confluence of factors, including higher percentages of underlying conditions, lack of health insurance, and lower access to medical facilities and care than urban counterparts, rural Americans are suffering more severe illness or death due to Covid-19.

Usda is funding 86 projects through the Distance Learning & Telemedicine (DLT) grant programme. The programme helps rural education and health care entities remotely reach students, patients and outside expertise. These capabilities make education and health care opportunities accessible in rural communities. The ability to use telehealth resources is critical, especially now during a global pandemic.

Usda has announced investments in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

In Georgia, for example, the Morehouse School of Medicine will use a $997,194 grant to purchase interactive telecommunications, distance-learning and telemedicine equipment. Equipment will be installed in service hubs in two counties in west-central Georgia. It will be used to provide health care services to residents in underserved rural areas of nine counties across the state. These services include mental health and substance abuse treatment and counselling; clinical services; referrals for specialty care; health education and career development to schools; and chronic disease diagnosis, treatment and management, including for Covid-19.

The Fall Mountain Regional School District in New Hampshire is receiving a $995,158 grant. It will provide distance-learning services in Cheshire and Sullivan counties. Distance learning will enable schools to share instructional resources, provide cultural literacy and career pathways programmes for students, and provide professional development opportunities. The grant will also help the district respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oklahoma’s Okmulgee Public School District is being awarded a $756,760 grant to provide distance-learning services in Creek and Okmulgee counties. Schools will expand course offerings and provide professional development opportunities. The schools will use videoconferencing and interactive display panels to expand the curriculum, including stem courses. The equipment this grant provides will help schools respond to the Covid-19 pandemic by enabling students to participate in virtual field trips and join classes from home.