Carle Health Has announced the receipt of a $544,000 grant to improve rural access to telemedicine. The grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will help connect nearly 200,000 rural residents in southeastern Illinois to specialists and other providers across the Carle healthcare system. The grant is funded through the USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program and is part of a nearly $4.4 million federal investment in healthcare and education across Illinois.