August 9, 2018
The city of Madison is getting a big funding boost, thanks to Rural Development Grants from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Madison has been approved to receive a total of $137,400 in federal funding. Of that, $54,900 will go to the City of Madison Fire Department to purchase new emergency response equipment and $82,500 will go to the Madison County Memorial Hospital.
U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, who helped secure the grant, said, “Emergency response and healthcare services are vital, and these dollars will ensure the citizens of Madison receive the best aid possible when they are faced with an emergency. I am humbled to have a part in making this funding possible and excited for what these improvements mean for the Madison County community.”
Lawmakers say the Madison Fire Department currently uses outdated equipment that is difficult to use. This grant will allow Madison to purchase new, more reliable equipment to provide care to the city’s 2,843 residents.
The grant given to Madison County Memorial Hospital will be used to replace health and business records systems with new Health Information Technology equipment, officials say. The new systems are designed to replace administration and clinical servers as well as provide back-up servers.
The USDA Rural Development Grant for Madison was also supported by Florida’s U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
