By Shawn Johnson, Illinois Public Radio
Springfield, Ill. – 
Doctors in rural areas see about three times as many patients as their uban colleagues, a workload some say will increase even more in coming years.
At a rural health conference in Springfield, Ill. this week, many health care professionals blamed a lack of emphasis on rural issues by the government, and particularly by medical schools.
Illinois Public Radio's Shawn Johnson prepared this report.