RDI is leading development of Illinois Rural HealthNet, a high-speed, fiber optic network connecting rural Illinois hospitals with specialists at larger facilities throughout the state and nation. When completed, this federally-funded, $24 million network will transform healthcare delivery in many areas of the state where access to specialty care is not currently available. Anticipating the day when Illinois Rural HealthNet “lights up,” RDI is working now with healthcare facilities to identify training needs and programming possibilities.
Contact:
Alan Kraus
Broadband Development Group
Phone: (815) 753-8945
E-mail: akraus@niu.edu
Current healthcare providers are aging hard to replace in rural settings. What to do?
How can rural healthcare providers get reimbursement for special needs patients not covered by insurance? Or for the increasing elderly population that is uninsured or under-insured?
Where can rural hospitals find information and expertise for modernizing healthcare technology?
How will rural health organizations gain the expertise to manage chronic diseases on a proactive basis, so they can avoid expensive emergency treatments?
These are just a few of the issues facing rural healthcare agencies. A new RDI service supports rural hospitals and health organizations that are long on patients but short on resources. Led by Roger Holloway, an experienced rural hospital executive, Rural Healthcare Resource Services helps local leaders spend less time on the everyday “fires” and focus on the future of health provision.
Contact:
Roger Holloway
Executive Director
Rural Health Resource Services
Regional Development Institute
Northern Illinois University
Email: rholloway@niu.edu
Phone: 815-753-5900
Fax: 815-753-9123
RDI collaborates with the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS) and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford to improve rural healthcare and expand the pipeline of students from rural areas into health professions. To strengthen rural healthcare institutions, RDI’s experts help identify professional development needs and manage resources that recruit and keep professional staff, who are often in short supply.
Contact:
Alan Robinson
Director of Outreach
College of Health and Human Sciences
Northern Illinois University
Email: arobinson@niu.edu
Phone: 815-753-8996