First organized in 1989, the Illinois Rural Health Association (IRHA) is a collaborative association comprised of over 800 members including hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, public health departments, practitioners, consumers and public officials, whose mission is to strengthen health systems for rural residents and communities through advocacy, education, networking and leadership. To join go to www.ilruralhealth.org The Illinois Rural Health Association also hosts educational workshops throughout the year, as well as a legislative reception in Springfield every spring. Our 30th Annual Educational Conference will be coming up Aug. 7-8th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Champaign. To address the workforce shortage of oral health professionals, HIT-Health Informatics and Medical Billing & Coding experts, as well as the great shortage of mental health professionals, IRHA awards scholarships every spring to students in these disciplines to students with a strong interest and intent in working in a rural area. We also host Rural Health Career Forums at colleges in order for current college students to gain a better understanding of the many career opportunities available in the rural health arena. Memberships are available for organizations, health care professionals, public officials and consumers with an interest in improving rural health care. IRHA is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization.