HEALTH CARE
Rural residents who live far from metropolitan medical centers deserve access to the best in modern medical care. Although 50 rural counties are designated “Health Professional Shortage Areas” by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council (GRAC) and its member agencies have worked to improve health care access everywhere in our state.
Telehealth networks enable medical professionals to streamline administrative tasks, improve access to information available on the Internet, and permit telemedicine consultations and video connections that overcome distance. State grant funding has provided telemedicine connectivity to rural hospitals in Union County Hospital (Anna), Lawrence County Hospital (Lawrenceville), and Sarah D. Culbertson Memorial Hospital (Rushville), and plans are underway to connect all of the rural hospitals in Illinois.
In 2007, the FCC awarded Illinois $21 million to bring state-of-the-art telemedicine to all of our hospitals. This award, secured by the Illinois RuralHealth Net consortium, was the nation’s third largest FCC Rural Health Care Pilot grant.
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. The owner of the Edgar County Special Service Area Ambulance helped to place AEDs throughout the county after his father died of a heart attack. As a result, Edgar County now has 56 AEDs in all of its fire vehicles, ambulances, most law enforcement vehicles, most industries, and most churches.
To encourage the availability of AEDs in more rural areas, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn created the Heartsaver AED Fund that provides 50-50 matching grants to help place AEDs in public schools, park districts, colleges and universities. The Fund is administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health and is funded by a state tax check-off.
Doc Hollywood Day honors physicians working outside urban centers, and raises awareness of the need for health professionals in rural communities. The award, created by the National Rural Health Association, is named after the 1991 film, “Doc Hollywood,” which starred Michael J. Fox as a big city plastic surgeon who finds happiness and professional fulfillment by practicing in a rural community.
At a yearly celebration in Springfield, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn honors Illinois physicians for their commitment to underserved communities with the Rural Physician of Excellence Award. During the 2005 ceremony, Quinn declared Oct. 10 “Doc Hollywood Day” in Illinois.
Sponsors of the event have included the Illinois Rural Health Association, Illinois Hospital Association, SIU School of Medicine's Rural Health Initiative, OSF Medical Group, Illinois State Medical Society, and the National Center for Rural Health Professions.