Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1.99 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Help Establish New Hospital in Lake City, South Carolina

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.99 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the city of Lake City, South Carolina, to make water and sewer infrastructure improvements needed to serve a new hospital building in the region. This EDA grant will be matched with nearly $500,000 in local investment.

“President Biden is committed to ensuring that American citizens have access to quality health care and that our communities are positioned to not only recover from this pandemic but build back stronger,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment will provide the critical infrastructure that Lake City needs to establish a new hospital building that will expand healthcare access for local citizens and spur new job growth.”

“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting community-led economic development strategies designed to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA grant will deliver the water and sewer services needed by Lake City to increase the availability of medical services and enhance regional economic resilience.”

“This is big news for the region and the state,” said Senator Lindsey Graham. “This funding will allow Lake City to make necessary infrastructure improvements to support the Medical University of South Carolina’s new hospital. I appreciate the EDA’s work to help turn this into reality. The Palmetto State is a great place to live and work, and this grant will help to ensure high-quality health care is available in the Pee Dee region.”

“Water and sewer infrastructure is vital to the health and wealth of a community,” said Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (SC-06). “This investment will provide the infrastructure that will allow Lake City, Kingstree, and surrounding communities to benefit from the recently consolidated MUSC hospital. In addition, this grant will act as a conduit to further economic development.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, which EDA funds to help 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 project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136 PDF), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.