I was appointed state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development for the Commonwealth in October 2021. Thus far, the highlight was seeing St. Luke’s Hospital-Carbon Campus in Carbon County open its doors in November.

During the tour of the trauma-4 facility, I was told that the hospital would treat about 50,000 emergency care patients a year. To me, that is lives saved in a rural area that prior may not have been possible.

Last week, President Biden used his first State of the Union address to talk about where our country has been and where we are going. Coming out of a pandemic this brings more emphasis on healthcare projects such as the hospital in Carbon County. USDA Rural Development was able to invest $98.5 million into the project from our Community Facilities direct loan program. The hospital will repay this loan over the next 30 years principal and interest to the U.S. Treasury.

Thanks goes to the doctors, nurses, paramedics and business partners that made this project possible. Not only will this project save lives, but it can be an economic driver for the region by providing a level of health care that makes the community more attractive to potential businesses looking to relocate. It is projects like this that add value to their communities that make me happy to come to work every day to serve my fellow rural Pennsylvanians.

The president mentioned a lot we can be proud of and even more to look forward to, especially in rural America.

The country has faced deep challenges over the past year — and we face even more moving forward. The people of rural America know this better than anyone.

But rural communities are resilient, and as the success of rural America goes, so goes the rest of the country. In fiscal year 2021, Rural Development in Pennsylvania invested more than $864 million in rural communities.

That’s why the progress we have made in the Commonwealth over the past year is a good sign for everyone. By investing in water infrastructure and housing, rural business opportunities and the American food supply chain, USDA is helping communities build a foundation for sustained economic growth.

Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, we’re answering the president’s call to create more resilient, diverse and secure supply chains. Promoting competition in the processing sector will lead to fairer prices for farmers, greater value for workers and more affordable and healthier food produced closer to home for families.

These investments create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. They help the economy grow from the bottom up and the middle out like the president talked about. And they contribute to a circular economy where the resources and wealth we build in rural Pennsylvania stay right here in Pennsylvania.

And this is just the beginning. In the State of the Union, President Biden committed to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes so every child and every American has clean water to drink at home and at school and provide affordable high-speed internet for every American — in every urban, suburban, rural and tribal community.

The Biden-Harris administration’s plan for the economy is already producing historic wins, and there’s room for everyone to participate, no matter their ZIP code.

That’s why we’re optimistic that our best days lie ahead.

By giving everyone a fair shot and providing equitable access to federal resources, we can do our part to carry out the President’s economic vision. That means making more things here at home, strengthening our supply chains and lowering costs for working families. It means giving people opportunities to make a good living without having to leave the communities they know and love.

For a lot of us, that means staying right here in rural Pennsylvania.

(Rob Morgan is the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development state director in Pennsylvania.)