Durbin Releases Plan To Address Health Care Workforce Shortages In Rural Illinois

Press Release

"The COVID pandemic showed us how important our rural hospitals and clinics are to keeping our communities healthy and safe. However, those rural hospitals and clinics are facing a real threat--not from a new virus, but from a shortage of health care professionals. I've spent the past year traveling the state to understand the challenges, including difficulty recruiting new physicians, too few EMTs entering the field, and not enough faculty to train new nurses. The comprehensive plan we are announcing today will help us address the root causes of these shortages by reaching into middle and high schools to attract young people into health careers, expanding the capacity of our education programs, and creating incentives for rural recruitment."

Source