The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $50,000 to upgrade radiology equipment at South Big Horn County Hospital in Basin.

“Investing in health care is investing in our rural communities and the people who call them home,” said Acting Wyoming State Director Janice Blare. “South Big Horn County Hospital will now be able to offer updated radiology services that will have an impact throughout the Big Horn Basin.”

The Community Facilities grant will help the hospital district purchase a 3D mammography machine, portable X-ray, ultrasound machine and ultrasound probe disinfection machine. 

The upgraded equipment will bring new technology to the hospital, providing Basin residents and neighboring communities with the health care resources needed for routine and preventative care, the USDA says.

The department is investing in 233 projects through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.