We put education and community support at the top of our mission objectives, hosting students from high school through medical school and beyond.

Host organization: Pinckneyville Community Hospital is a 17-bed critical access hospital. PCH is a member of the Illinois Rural Community Care Organization. Services include acute care, swing beds, 24-hour emergency services, specialty clinics, ancillary and therapy services, an outpatient senior behavioral health program, and a hospital-based rural health clinic.

Area opportunities: The region is home to Southern Illinois University, with campuses in Carbondale and Edwardsville. There are opportunities for learning in every facet of health and health care, including administration, nursing, medicine, and surgery, just to name a few. The region is host to 28 hospitals and numerous ancillary health care facilities.

Community partners: Working with our partners such as Rend Lake College, SIU Edwardsville and Pinckneyville Community High School, South Central Illinois AHEC exposes area youth to rewarding health care career opportunities through classroom presentations, science fairs, career fairs, health career camps, job shadowing, internships, and career resources. The Southern Illinois Substance Abuse Alliance, Illinois Rural Health Association, ARCH Air Medical Service, Pinckneyville Ambulance Service and Marissa Fire Department all play an important part in bringing rural health care to life for our participants.

Demographics: This region includes 12 rural counties and four with sizable cities. The 930,000 residents are predominately White, although there are ethnically mixed areas. The unemployment rate is higher than the state average in half the counties (extremely high in five). Most counties have high rates of children living in poverty; in some, it is 1.5 times the state rate.

Local health challenges: This region faces many health and economic challenges: Most counties experience shorter than average life expectancy, impaired quality of life, and poor health outcomes. Several counties fare worse than almost all other Illinois counties. One faces serious environmental issues. In 10 counties, many residents reported average, poor, or fair health, and residents in most of the counties reported high rates of physically and mentally unhealthy days. Smoking rates are above the state average in all counties. Residents in 10 counties struggle with obesity; in 11, the rates of physical inactivity are higher than the state average, and residents in all counties reported opportunities to exercise are uncommon. Three counties have higher than average rates of opioid-related deaths.

Our programs: Our programs and activities bring participants in touch in a practical way with health care in our underserved communities. Take a look.

Our region: Southern Illinois (also known as “Little Egypt”) is a hidden gem in the Midwest. There is the natural beauty of the Shawnee National Forest; local history and lore surrounding Cave-In-Rock, the largest archaeological site at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site; and many lakes offering outdoor activities. Several small, quaint cities and towns including Effingham, Mount Vernon, Centralia, Du Quoin, and Murphysboro host annual festivals, and there are two wine trails where you can enjoy the distinctive character of our local wineries.

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