INDIANAPOLIS – Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch announced her Rural Road to Recovery initiative in partnership with Purdue University's Center for Regional Development and Ball State University's Indiana Communities Institute. This partnership has resulted in the creation of blueprints for placing Indiana's small cities and towns on the Rural Road to Recovery in the wake of COVID-19.

In a statement, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch said “Governor Holcomb and I have long touted our thriving rural cities and towns, and our commitment to these communities has not wavered, even while coping with the onset of COVID-19.”

In her quest to support the people, families, businesses and communities that represent the heart of rural Indiana, Lt. Governor Crouch challenged her family of business to delineate and put into action a list of key priorities in response to the challenges presented by COVID-19. This required each agency to work with their university partners to take stock of their current capabilities and then find new ways to create a more integrated system of support for rural Indiana. The end result provides a framework for each agency to utilize in the response to and recovery from COVID-19 in rural communities.