COLUMBUS — Ohio has announced a capital loan program for small businesses in the state’s Appalachian region, including Lawrence County.

On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced the creation of three programs to help small and medium-sized businesses in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs will be administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency.

The programs included the Ohio PPE Retooling and Reshoring Grant Program, the Ohio Minority Micro-Enterprise Grant Program and the Appalachian Region Loan Program.

With the Appalachian Region Loan Program, the Ohio Development Service Agency will loan $10 million to Appalachian Growth Capital, who will then offer low-interest loans up to $500,000 to small businesses in the 32-county Appalachian region of Ohio.

More information on these programs can be found at Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov/BusinessHelp.