Illinois resources via the Rural Health Information Hub

Event: 2026 Annual Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) Conference

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Champaign IL
November 10, 2026 -- Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network

Resource: Illinois Rural Health Transformation Program Grants

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:27:01 -0500

Excel spreadsheet sharing funding opportunities available through the Illinois Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to help implement Illinois approved RHTP initiatives and activities. -- Illinois Rural Health Association

Resource: Acting Before the First Case: How Southern Seven Health Department Strengthened Measles Preparedness Through Partnerships

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:13:18 -0500

Case study highlighting the Southern Seven Health Department's approach to measles preparedness in rural Illinois via partnerships and data-sharing. Highlights topics including access to vaccines and other healthcare services, the role of forming partnerships with schools and other partners, and the importance of trust and communication. -- National Association of County and City Health Officials

News: Experts Urge More Mental Health Support for Illinois Farmers

Tue, 26 May 2026 11:07:34 -0500

Describes agricultural occupation factors driving a higher rate of suicide, depression, and anxiety among farmers. Discusses disparities for women in the industry and resources for farmers in Illinois.

Event: 2026 ICAHN Southern Illinois Regional Meeting

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Mount Vernon IL
July 1, 2026 -- Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network

News: Congresswoman Schrier Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Support Maternal Healthcare in Rural Communities

Wed, 20 May 2026 09:21:15 -0500

Congresswoman Kim Schrier of Washington, along with representatives Randy Feenstra of Iowa, Jill Tokuda of Hawaii, and Darin LaHood of Illinois have reintroduced the Rural Maternity Options for Medical Support Act. This legislation would allow Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to count labor and delivery beds separate from acute care rooms, allowing hospitals to offer these services without putting their CAH status in jeopardy.

Resource: Healthy Aging in Illinois, Metro vs. Nonmetro

Mon, 18 May 2026 10:03:54 -0500

Examines factors contributing to healthy aging in Illinois according to metro versus nonmetro county. Utilizes 2024 data from the American Community Survey and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and provides county rankings for healthy aging. -- Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Resource: Food is Medicine Guide Book: A Resource for Expanding Produce Prescription and Voucher Incentive Programs in Illinois

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:05:19 -0500

Provides guidance on Food is Medicine initiatives such as produce prescription (PRx) and voucher incentive programs that use nutritious food to help manage chronic disease. Includes best practices and case studies with considerations for implementation in rural areas.

Event: 2026 IHA Small & Rural Hospitals Annual Meeting

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Springfield IL
June 18, 2026 -- Illinois Health and Hospital Association

Resource: Illinois Rural Health Transformation Program

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:46:00 -0600

Provides information on the Illinois Rural Health Transformation Program. Presents an overview of proposed initiatives and includes links to information about the state's application materials. -- Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services

Resource: Visual Impairment and Blindness among Illinoisans, Metro vs. Nonmetro

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:28:24 -0600

Examines visual impairment in Illinois utilizing data from the American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2024 Area Health Resources File. Provides data breakdowns of visual impairment prevalence by county as well as a comparison of metro versus nonmetro availability of optometrists and ophthalmologists. -- Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Event: 2026 NCSL Legislative Summit

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Chicago IL
July 27, 2026 -- National Conference of State Legislatures

Event: 2026 37th Annual Illinois Rural Health Association Educational Conference

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Champaign IL
July 29, 2026 -- Illinois Rural Health Association

Resource: Illinois Rural Behavioral Health Workforce

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:45:41 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the supply and distribution of behavioral health clinicians in Illinois in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Illinois Rural Primary Care Workforce

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:43:40 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in Georgia in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Illinois Rural Obstetrical Workforce

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:29:03 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the obstetricians and advanced practice midwives workforce distribution in Illinois in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Stress, Health, and Injury Among Illinois Farmers

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 17:13:31 -0500

Highlights a study identifying and looking for correlations between work-related injuries, chronic health conditions, stress, and mental health conditions among agricultural producers in Illinois. Bases findings on a cross-sectional survey and breaks down data by demographics, farm characteristics, and physical and mental health issues, among other measures.

Resource: New Design Opens the Door to Improved Patient Care at Midwest Medical Center

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 11:45:09 -0500

Profiles the Midwest Medical Center, a hospital in rural Illinois. Discusses the building's remodel and collaboration with the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities program. -- USDA Rural Development

Organization: Superior Health Quality Alliance

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 13:47:05 -0500

A Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) working with patients, providers, and community partners to improve the health of people in the Great Lakes region: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Offers technical assistance to eligible providers, including support for chronic disease management, behavioral health integration, patient safety, care coordination and health equity.

Resource: Mapping Geographic Access to Illinois Birthing Hospitals, 2016–2023

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:46:10 -0600

Examines geographic access to birthing hospitals between 2016 to 2023 for women of reproductive age in Illinois. Includes maps showing driving times to hospitals and closed hospitals in the state, as well as changing levels of access for rural and urban women.

Resource: Market Selection Insights for New Mental Healthcare Facilities in Rural Illinois

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 09:54:42 -0600

Analyzes rural areas in Illinois that have an appropriate demand center, traffic flow, and mental healthcare need to locate a new mental healthcare facility. Provides a metro versus nonmetro list of residential mental health and substance use facilities as well as projected finances of a new mental health facility in a nonmetro location. -- Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Resource: Validation of Prognostic Scales for Functional Outcome in Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with Intravenous Thrombolysis in a Rural Setting

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 10:25:27 -0500

Examines the efficacy of prognostic tools for stroke recovery in a rural setting, utilizing data of 279 stroke patients who received thrombolytic therapy at the Southern Illinois Healthcare Stroke Network from July 2017 to June 2024. Provides data on the performance of the DRAGON, MRI-DRAGON, and S-TPI tools in predicting positive and negative patient outcomes.

Resource: Key Themes of Community-Oriented Primary Care Projects from a Longitudinal, Rural Interprofessional Health Professions Curriculum (1997–2023)

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:24:27 -0500

Examines Community Oriented Primary Care Project Model (COPC) projects implemented between 1997 and 2023 as part of rural medical and pharmacy health professions curricula in the University of Illinois system. Categorizes COPC project types and target populations, and discusses how COPC supports rural, community-engaged research.

Resource: Illinois Health Outcomes Disparities Report 2024

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 15:16:22 -0500

Provides an overview regarding the connection between human services access and health disparities in Illinois, with a focus on rural communities and people of color. Discusses persistent health disparities, root causes of inequities, and developing systems of care to address inequities. Includes county-level data on infant mortality, mental health, primary care, and food insecurity. -- Illinois Department of Human Services

Resource: Mental Health of Women in Rural Illinois: Insights from the Household Pulse Survey, June-July 2024

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:10:25 -0500

Explores the mental health of women in nonmetropolitan Illinois. Utilizes 2024 data from the Household Pulse Survey to examine rate of mental illness in nonmetro Illinois women according to race, education, income and marital status; impacts of role overload; and feelings on loneliness and connectedness. -- Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Resource: Reportable Sexually Transmitted Diseases by Morbidity Responsibility Area, Illinois

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 16:22:37 -0500

Provides county-level data from the state of Illinois on provisional cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) reported during January-December of 2022 compared to January-December of 2021. Includes data breakdowns by demographic characteristics, such as sex, age, and race/ethnicity, as well as STD type, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, and early syphilis. -- Illinois Department of Public Health

Resource: Practice Outcomes for the First Decade of Rural Pharmacy Education (RPHARM) Program Graduates

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 15:23:19 -0500

Analyzes the practice characteristics of 2014-2023 graduates of the Rural Pharmacy Education (RPHARM) Program at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Pharmacy. Provides information on the RPHARM program, number of graduates, and practice characteristics of graduates, including practice type and rurality of location.

Funding opportunity: Thematic Working Groups in the North Central Region

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 13:47:01 -0500

Funding for multistate, regional working groups focusing on creating resilient communities and economies, developing leadership and civic engagement, and promoting community health and wellness that integrates research and Extension programs. -- North Central Regional Center for Rural Development

Funding opportunity: North Central Region Extension Collaboration and Implementation Grants

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 11:28:43 -0500

Funding for land grant institutions extension programs working to create resilient communities and economies, developing leadership and civic engagement, and promoting community health and wellness in rural areas of the North Central Region of the U.S. -- North Central Regional Center for Rural Development

Resource: Illinois Homelessness Mortality and Morbidity Report 2017-2022

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:46:46 -0500

Provides a statistical overview of homelessness in Illinois from 2017-2022, with a focus on mortality, morbidity, and hospital utilization. Includes data by Illinois region and rural versus urban county, as well as by population groups, such as veterans, widows, rural residents, and more. -- Illinois Department of Public Health