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**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:**

February 4, 2004 Tammi Schone - (605) 352-1102

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# FEDERAL OFFICIALS AWARD DISTANCE LEARNING TELEMEDICINE GRANT

**Aberdeen** -- Lynn D. Jensen, USDA Rural Development State Director,
presented Avera St. Luke's Hospital with a \$252,875 grant award. The
federal grant from the Rural Utilities Service, who distributes and
administers Distance Learning Telemedicine loans and grants, will assist
the hospital in expanding its services.

Jensen said, "I am pleased that USDA Rural Development grant funds will
assist the Avera St. Luke's Hospital in expanding their teleradiological
services to the community. This will allow rural residents to have
access to advanced medical resources afforded to the more populous
areas."

The Avera St. Luke's Hospital will utilize the RUS grant funds to
provide teleradiology services to four critical access facilities
(Marshall County Healthcare Center/Avera Health - Britton, Bowdle
Healthcare Center/Clinic - Bowdle, Community Memorial Hospital -
Redfield, and Holy Infant Hospital -- Hoven); one non-critical facility
(Hand County Memorial Hospital/Avera Health -- Miller); and two clinics
(Ipswich Clinic -- Ipswich and Ellendale Clinic -- Ellendale, ND) in
exceptionally rural communities. Benefits of the teleradiology project
include reduced travel costs for patients and medical providers, better
management of patients, and wider delivery of services to approximately
38,000 residents in the Edmunds, Hand, Marshall, Potter, McPherson, and
Spink Counties in South Dakota, in addition to Dickey County in North
Dakota.

Todd Forkel, Radiology Operations Manager at Avera St. Luke's said,
"General Electric, our vendor, said there are very few sites in the
entire country doing what we'll accomplish with this. Each day, each
month, it gets easier and easier working with the Picture Archival and
Communications System (PACS)."

USDA Rural Development\'s mission is to deliver programs in a way that
will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of
life of rural residents. Rural Development is Rural America\'s Venture
Capitalist. Providing equity, liquidity, and technical assistance to
finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and
critical community and technology infrastructure. Further information on
these and other rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural
Development office or by visiting USDA\'s web site at
[http://www.rurdev.usda.gov](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/).

**-USDA-**

*The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race,
color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political
beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all
prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who
require alternative means for communication of program information
(Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s TARGET
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of
discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room
326-W, Whitten Building, 14^th^ and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington,
DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal
opportunity employer.*