Rural Health Summit Policy Briefs

Reports released by Southern Illinois University (SIU) Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, SIU Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, and the SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development provide a better understanding of the challenges rural and underserved communities have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Each report addressing a different topic provides recommendations on how to build a healthier rural Illinois during and following the pandemic.

*All links open as a PDF

Overview Document:

BUILDING A HEALTHIER RURAL ILLINOIS: Understanding and Addressing the Challenges of COVID-19

BUILDING A HEALTHIER RURAL ILLINOIS: Informational Handout

Policy Briefs:

POLICY BRIEF: Transforming the Health of Rural Illinois (May 2022)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and Rural Housing and Homelessness (December 2021)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and the Rural Opioid Epidemic (November 2021)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and the Rural Health Workforce (October 2021)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and Rural Children’s Growth and Development (September 2021)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and Rural Nutrition and Fitness (August 2021)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and Public Health Systems (July 2021)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and Rural Mental Health (May 2021)

POLICY BRIEF: COVID-19 and an Aging Rural Population (April 2021)