A DeWitt County healthcare executive is the President of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network and explains the rural healthcare model is trying to keep up with the ever-evolving world of healthcare.

Paul Skowron is the CEO of Clinton's Warner Hospital and Health Services and indicates this is a network of roughly 57 hospitals. Skowron says it is interesting because the hospital's recent shift in focus of its facilities coincides with a recent theme of this network. 

Telehealth was a big development during COVID as it came on the scene as a very viable option for providing healthcare in a safe manner but this was something the network was talking about before the pandemic.

A more current and increasingly popular development from this network is to offer a mobile clinic. Skowron says this has been wildly popular in Sparta where its mobile units roam throughout the community throughout the week.

Skowron says rural facilities face limitations and so he is stressing making the most of the space they have. This has been a focus for the Clinton facility as it transitions away from the dream of a brand new multi-million dollar space.

The network recently heard about how physicians coming out of school now will on-call shifts but are much more proficient in the technological advancements for healthcare.