Illinois Models and Innovations
These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.
Evidence-Based Examples
Fit & Strong!®
Updated/reviewed August 2020
- Need: Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition which often causes multiple related disabilities in older adults.
- Intervention: An 8-week physical activity, behavior change, and falls prevention program geared to older adults with osteoarthritis.
- Results: Participants gained confidence with increased exercise, lessened stiffness, improved joint pain and improved lower extremity strength and mobility.
Effective Examples
Medical Legal Partnership of Southern Illinois
Updated/reviewed November 2024
- Need: Legal barriers often prevent low-income people in Southern Illinois from obtaining positive health outcomes despite receiving medical care.
- Intervention: The Medical Legal Partnership of Southern Illinois (MLPSI) was formed to create a system where medical providers can refer patients in need of legal assistance to local attorneys.
- Results: Over 5,700 patients have utilized MLPSI since its founding in 2002. The program has relieved over $8.1 million in medical debt for both hospitals and patients.
Rural Medical Education Program at University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford
Added October 2023
- Need: To recruit and train medical students who are committed to choosing rural practice.
- Intervention: An add-on curriculum that includes seminars, field trips, and clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas.
- Results: 436 students have graduated from the RMED program between 1997 and 2023, with 65% of program graduates practicing in towns of less than 50,000 people.
Other Project Examples
Regional Behavioral Health Network
Updated/reviewed April 2025
- Need: Multiple organizations in rural east central Illinois needed a more efficient, centralized system for referring patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis to appropriate treatment services.
- Intervention: The Regional Behavioral Health Network was established with a 24-hour toll-free crisis line, providing immediate access to trained crisis clinicians.
- Results: Improved access to high quality behavioral healthcare for patients in rural east central Illinois.
Win With Wellness

Updated/reviewed October 2024
- Need: To reduce risk of obesity and chronic disease in rural northwest Illinois.
- Intervention: Win With Wellness (WWW) collaborated with community organizations and worksites to improve physical activity and eating behaviors and reduce weight among adults using a multi-component approach.
- Results: From 2015 to 2018, the two participating counties initiated 28 Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) groups with 367 participants. In the second round of funding, WWW recruited 183 participants for 9 TOPS groups and 8 community Heart-to-Heart sites.
Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition
Updated/reviewed August 2024
- Need: To enhance emergency preparedness in rural areas by providing access to training, exercises, and crucial information.
- Intervention: SPARC, a coalition of 197 organizations in southern Illinois, focuses on emergency preparedness.
- Results: SPARC has facilitated numerous training sessions, exercises, and community events, enhancing regional preparedness and resilience.
Florissa


Updated/reviewed June 2024
- Need: To address the developmental, behavioral, and social/emotional needs of rural children ages 0-22 in northwest Illinois.
- Intervention: Local partners teamed up to create a centralized service facility for children and families facing developmental, behavioral, and social/emotional issues. Florissa provides evaluations, diagnosis, and treatment to local children using a multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach.
- Results: In 2023, Florissa provided a direct clinical service to over 337 children, in addition to many trainings and supportive programs. It also is co-located with the KSB Hospital pediatric department, a certified pediatric patient-centered medical home (PCMH).
Arukah Institute's Living Room Program

Added December 2023
- Need: To address high rates of substance use in Princeton, Illinois and the surrounding area.
- Intervention: The Arukah Institute, a local nonprofit organization providing mental health services, adapted a statewide model to provide support and a safe space for people in need of substance use resources.
- Results: The Living Room program had 1,485 visits in its first year, with 100% of clients served by recovery support specialists.
Healthy Southern Illinois Delta Network
Updated/reviewed November 2023
- Need: To improve people's health in a rural 16-county region in Illinois.
- Intervention: A coalition of local health departments and healthcare facilities coordinates regional efforts, which are implemented locally by health community coalitions.
- Results: HSIDN has created toolkits, developed resource guides, and provided wellness trainings, among other initiatives.
Structured Training for Rural Enhancement of Community Health in Obstetrics (STRETCH-OB)

Added June 2023
- Need: To improve maternal and birth outcomes in rural and underserved areas by increasing the number of family medicine physicians in these areas who have high-quality, evidence-based obstetrical care skills.
- Intervention: The STRETCH-OB program trains a select number of family medicine residents at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford each year to provide high-quality maternity care, including surgical obstetrical care.
- Results: The first two STRETCH-OB residents graduated in June 2023.
Last Reviewed: 7/30/2024