Rural access to mental health care is expanding in Kansas thanks to a $42.5 million US Department of Agriculture grant announced last week.

Those dollars are being invested in 133 distance learning and telemedicine projects including Manhattan-based Pawnee Mental Health Services. Executive Director Robbin Cole says Pawnee was awarded nearly $500,000 to expand video conferencing services to Jewell, Mitchell and Washington counties in north-central Kansas.

“With this grant, we’ll be able to place equipment in those offices as well as the county health departments in those counties to enable residents to receive the mental health services that they need five days a week,” Cole said.

(Read more: 1350 KMAN)