About the Consortium

The Illinois Rural Health Network Consortium is a partnership of public universities and health care providers overseeing development of a statewide telemedicine program.  The Consortium successfully pursued funding for a high-speed network to connect rural hospitals and clinics with specialists in all corners of the state. 

In the first phase of its work, the Consortium is managing a $21 million grant from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that will connect 88 rural communities to the IRHN network by 2010.  Future Consortium efforts will focus on expanding network connections to other Illinois health care providers; developing education programs to help rural communities take full advantage of the high-speed network; and expanding uses of the network to include research collaboration, continuing medical education, public health data-gathering, and disaster recovery efforts.

Consortium Participants