A Mississippi hospital has been awarded nearly a million dollars in grants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $968,200 investment in emergency rural healthcare grants to Sharkey Issaquena Community Hospital to improve healthcare facilities in small towns.

This investment will be used to offset the burden that COVID-19 placed on the Mississippi hospital, including lost revenues, increased staffing expenses, and expenses incurred to protect the community and facility from the spread of COVID-19 throughout the duration of the pandemic.

“During one of the most critical times in our nation’s history, the Biden-Harris Administration responded to deliver immediate economic relief and ensure rural people have access to quality health care,” USDA Deputy Secretary Torres Small said. “USDA’s Emergency Rural Health Care Grants are helping strengthen rural America’s health care infrastructure to build for the future.”

In addition to its contribution to the Mississippi hospital, USDA is awarding $129 million in grants to help 172 rural healthcare organizations throughout the nation expand critical services.