WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development office has awarded a $630,592 Community Facilities Emergency Rural Health Care (ERHC) grant to Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville. The grants will help to recover lost revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so they can continue serving the community. The funds were made possible through the American Rescue Plan, which Brown helped write and pass.

“Communities across Ohio have stepped up to meet the challenges of this pandemic, and rural health care centers, local governments, and food pantries have been at the heart of those efforts,” said Brown. “This funding from the American Rescue Plan will allow Ohio communities to strengthen health care and nutrition services, particularly in places where quality care is often too far away or too hard to access.”

Last year, Brown announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made $500 million available in emergency rural health care grants as part of the American Rescue Plan, which Brown helped write and pass to provide critical assistance for Ohioans. Awards are available for rural health care facilities and communities to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, health care services and nutrition assistance.

Brown has been a leader for Ohio’s rural communities, fighting to secure crucial funding for USDA grant and loan programs. He is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 50 years.