LEEDS – The DFD Russell Medical Center has received a $598,600 rural development loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office.

The loan was in the form of a community facility direct loan.

It will be used to construct an addition and an elevator to the medical center.

The USDA awarded a total of $3,971,600 in funding to entities in Brewer, Lincoln, Leeds, Augusta and Bowdoinham, according to U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

“The funding provided by the USDA is critical to the development of Maine’s rural communities,” Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. “Such funds provide for the growth, expansion, and rehabilitation of facilities and areas that might otherwise lack funding. Since rural communities are the heart and soul of our state, it is imperative that we don’t forget them when it comes to funding opportunities.”

USDA Rural Development loans and grants are used for community programs that seek to construct or improve community facilities for health care, public safety and public services.