While the state of Ohio is getting an extra $8.2 million in federal funding to help fight COVID-19 in rural areas, Knox County won’t be receiving any of the money, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Public Health said.

“No funds have been allocated in Knox County,” Megan Smith told the Mount Vernon News. “Knox Community Hospital is the only hospital in Knox County, and they are too large to be eligible for the grant.”

The grants will go to 32 small rural hospitals in Ohio for COVID-19 testing and mitigation that are “important parts of the COVID response, especially as the country faces new variants,” the state said in a news release.

“Small, rural hospitals – those with fewer than 50 beds and Critical Access Hospitals – are key health care access points and trusted community resources,” the news release said.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is trying to expand access to vaccines in rural areas through rural health clinics (RHCs) across the country. It is also trying to increase confidence in the vaccines in those areas.

“RHCs are a special certification given to health care practices in underserved rural areas by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),” the agency said. “More than 4,600 Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) in 45 states make up a key part of the rural health care infrastructure and help address health equity gaps in medically underserved rural communities to improve health outcomes for rural residents.”

The clinics and small rural hospitals are the front-line defense for COVID-19, the agency said.

“The Biden Administration recognizes the important role that small rural hospitals have in closing the equity gap and ensuring that rural Americans can protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

In Knox County as of July 15, there were three confirmed active cases of COVID-19, with two patients hospitalized, according to Knox Public Health. There have 119 total deaths from COVID-19 in the county, the agency said.