Illinois Rural Health Initiative--REACH: Rural Education, Access, Careers, and Health

This initiative aims to strengthen rural healthcare delivery systems by improving access to training, increasing credential attainment, and bolstering employment outcomes in rural Illinois communities. By expanding pipelines for registered and perioperative nurses, physical therapy assistants, and respiratory therapists, Illinois community colleges directly stabilize understaffed rural critical access hospitals, ensuring residents do not have to travel hours to larger cities for emergency or rehabilitation care. Furthermore, training dental hygienists and nurse midwives locally directly combats the expanding maternal and oral health deserts across rural Illinois. Community colleges will train healthcare workers who are not only competent, but who also understand the specific socioeconomic realities of their patients. Ultimately, Illinois community colleges will leverage the grant resources to transform local students into permanent, lifesaving healthcare workers for the state’s most vulnerable populations.