PRINCETON — The Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), based in Princeton, will receive a $338,600 grant to help upgrade health information technology services to rural hospitals and health care units.

Gov. Pat Quinn announced the grant last week, saying ICAHN is one of three Illinois not-for-profit organizations to receive a total $1.3 million in federal funding to help upgrade health information technology services in underserved areas of the state. The grants are made possible by the Illinois Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) as part of its White Space Grant Program. The OHIT anticipates the grants will enable more than 1,600 individual providers to connect with more than 48 health care organizations serving hundreds of thousands of patients each year, Quinn said.

“Upgrading our health information technology network is a critical part of our efforts to transform our health care system into one that focuses on wellness and keeping people healthy through better preventive care,” Quinn said. “Improving communication among providers is a key to this transformation. These grants are another important step in the direction of a fully connected Illinois and better patient care.”