Blythe Robinson, Capital Strategic Solutions Senior Project Manager assisted the Town of Bernardston in applying for an Emergency Rural Health Care (ERHC) grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA awarded $74,411 through the ERHC grant for the purchase and installation of nine (9) radio repeaters which will be installed in the Town’s police cruisers and fire trucks.
The Town’s population and rural character, made it eligible for a grant to cover 55% of the cost for this equipment which met the USDA’s purpose of improving rural health care services and access to them, as well as helping to better prepare a community for a future pandemic. Bernardston has various locations in the community where radio coverage is limited, and this grant will enable the installation of equipment to resolve this issue, thereby guaranteeing uninterrupted communications in emergency medical situations when coordination and provision of timely medical services is critical. Bernardston met its share of the grant by utilizing its ARPA funds.
The funding provided by the USDA, Emergency Rural Health Care Grant will enhance public safety throughout the Town, providing our public safety departments with the tools that they need to respond to emergencies is a top priority for the Bernardston Selectboard. We are grateful for Blythe’s insights and support applying for and winning these federal grant funds that will expand radio coverage throughout our community.