Grant funding of almost $3 million combined has been approved for three health care organizations in Wells River, Springfield, and Brattleboro, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office reports. The Emergency Rural Health Care Grants (ERHC) are part of the federal pandemic American Rescue Plan’s emergency relief funding.

Through the American Rescue Plan, the United States Dept. of Agriculture is making ERHC grants available to provide immediate relief, expand services, and strengthen nutrition assistance for rural health care facilities, tribes, and communities. In Vermont, these three recent grant awardees include:

• $1 million for the Springfield Hospital to relieve economic hardship arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, update facilities and services, and ensure that residents can continue to access quality health care close to home. The hospital will use a portion of the funding to invest in a more efficient HVAC system. Updating the air-handling system will modernize the building by improving energy efficiency and lowering operational expenses.

• $637,600 for the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital to modernize equipment and make improvements that meet the increasing demands of telemedicine, including an upgraded phone system, smart beds, lifts, portable beds and stretchers, and cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment equipment.

• $1 million for Little Rivers Healthcare in Wells River to increase patient access to needed services, including providing for additional exam rooms, health offices, care team support spaces, bathrooms, a waiting room, work reception area, and fire safety compliance work.

Under the American Rescue Plan, Vermont received more than $40 million for community health centers across the state and $27 million for vaccine distribution, Sanders’ office said.