U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Tuesday announced that the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.9 million grant for critical infrastructure that will pave the way for a new regional medical center to open in Thomasville.
The project, to be matched with $724,000 in local funds, is expected to help create 65 jobs, generate $25 million in private investment and spur related business growth in the area.
In a statement, Governor Kay Ivey said, “Growing and strengthening rural Alabama is imperative to our state’s success.”
She praised the Trump administration for helping the project come to fruition.
“I am thankful the U.S. Department of Commerce and Secretary Wilbur Ross selected Thomasville, Alabama for a $2.9 million grant,” Ivey added. “Enhancing health care in our state is critical, and this major development will greatly increase access to care for the people of Thomasville. I stand in support of President Trump’s commitment to infrastructure improvements and enhancements, and I look forward to seeing this type of growth in our more rural communities across the state.”
This project is funded under the a piece of legislation chiefly negotiated by Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
In a statement, Shelby praised both the federal support and the local leadership of Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day for making the project possible.
“EDA’s support for the new regional medical center is excellent news for residents and businesses in southwest Alabama,” Shelby remarked.
“Ensuring that rural areas have access to quality medical care is a top priority, and the Department of Commerce’s investment in this new facility in Thomasville will positively impact the local community,” he concluded. “I want to thank Mayor Day for his dedication to this project, and I look forward to the support it will provide to the region and resulting economic growth.”
The project will establish the roadway, water and utility infrastructure needed to support the new Thomasville Regional Medical Center (TRMC), which is now expected to open this fall.
In addition to serving local needs, the facility is expected to help diversify the local economy by attracting new medical businesses. This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission. EDA funds the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.
“This investment is welcome news for Thomasville and will do much to improve healthcare options for the people of Clarke County and the surrounding region,” Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) said in a statement. “Access to medical care is critical for the health of both rural residents and their local economies, and I am pleased the Trump Administration has made improving rural healthcare and infrastructure a priority.”
Ross emphasized, “President Trump is working hard to revitalize our country’s infrastructure and provide crucial services for the rural areas of our country that long been neglected.
“This investment will help support a regional medical center that will provide life-saving emergency care to Clarke County Alabamians who, for years, traveled up to 90 miles to receive medical care,” he continued.
This announcement came in the wake of the Trump administration announcing major reforms that are expected to help turn the tide on recent rural hospital closures in Alabama. In recent weeks, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) heeded Shelby’s and Byrne’s calls in proposing a new rule regarding the Inpatient Prospective Payment System that provides relief from the increasing disproportion of reimbursement to hospitals created by the Medicare wage index.
The Alabama legislature last week passed a resolution thanking the Trump administration and CMS for that crucial move.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
