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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Pennsylvania

Prescription Opioid Misuse among Rural Community Pharmacy Patients: Pilot Study for Screening and Implications for Future Practice and Research
Examines rural and urban community pharmacy patients in Pennsylvania to describe and compare patterns of opioid medication misuse. Identifies demographic and risk factors associated with rural and urban opioid medication misuse. Includes demographic statistics by rural and urban areas, such as education, employment status, and misuse behaviors. Offers recommendations to address opioid medication misuse.
Author(s): Gerald T. Cochran, Rafael J. Engel, Valerie J. Hruschak, Ralph E. Tarter
Citation: Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 30(5), 498-505
Date: 10/2017
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Aging in Place in Small Urban and Rural Communities
Examines the current state of aging in place, including cost benefits of rural residents living independently and using home health services and public transportation, rather than relocating to assisted living facilities. Includes statistics on costs of various types of senior living situations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Maine, New Mexico, and Montana, and aging in place cost savings forecasts for these states.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Del Peterson, Ted Rieck
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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An Emerging Approach to Payment Reform: All-Payer Global Budgets for Large Safety-Net Hospital Systems
Examines the possibility of implementing global all-payer budgets in safety-net hospital systems throughout the U.S. Provides background on the all-payer model, and discusses the experiences of rural hospitals in Maryland and Pennsylvania, where current global budgeting demonstrations are ongoing.
Author(s): Joshua M. Sharfstein, Sule Gerovich, Elizabeth Moriarty, David Chin
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Health Disparities in Appalachia
Measures population health in Appalachia and explores disparities within the region and between Appalachia and the country as a whole. Features statistics on mortality, morbidity, behavioral health, child health, community characteristics, lifestyle, healthcare systems, quality of care, and social determinants, with breakdowns between urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Julie L. Marshall, Logan Thomas, Nancy M. Lane, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, PDA, Inc., The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Screening for Underage Drinking and DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care Practice
Author manuscript describing study of 1,193 patients aged 12-20 who were assessed before their visit to one of 6 rural Pennsylvania clinics. Features statistics with breakdowns by age group, frequency of consumption, and quantity of consumption.
Author(s): Duncan B. Clark, Christopher S. Martin, Tammy Chung, et al.
Date: 06/2017
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Analysis of Pennsylvania Crash Statistics Data
Summary of vehicular crashes in rural versus urban Pennsylvania from 2010-2015, with a specific focus on the disproportionate number which occurred in rural areas. Includes a discussion of the barrier of geographic distance to care, availability of emergency service providers or law enforcement assistance, and the impact of the Marcellus Shale natural gas wells.
Author(s): Louis Pesci, Jeffrey Grim, Lucas Tatarko, Joseph Franze
Date: 05/2017
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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MORE Care: Narrowing the Rural Interprofessional Oral Health Care Gap
Presents an integrated healthcare model that connects oral health to primary care Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Discusses challenges and strategies in implementing oral health interprofessional practice (IPP), such as developing dental referral networks and ensuring access to health information technology, among others. Details the collaboration between the State Offices of Rural Health in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado with the DentaQuest Institute and the Medical University of South Carolina.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Sean G. Boynes, Lisa Davis, Graham Adams, Michelle Mills, Mark Deutchman
Date: 05/2017
Sponsoring organization: DentaQuest Institute
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Medical Barriers to Nursing Home Care for Rural Residents
Explores challenges faced by rural people seeking placement in nursing homes, especially those with behavioral or psychiatric conditions, complex care needs, dementia, or obesity, and identifies possible solutions through policy changes. Uses data from telephone interviews with 23 discharge planners from rural hospitals in Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Michelle Casey, Shailendra Prasad, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 05/2017
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Health Insurance Coverage, Health Care Utilization, and Health Outcomes within the Context of Marcellus Shale Development
A discussion of the public health impacts of the Marcellus Shale natural gas well development in four Pennsylvania counties. Includes comparisons of health insurance coverage rates and availability; the burden of increased utilization of healthcare facilities and services; and health outcomes as they relate to the environmental effects of natural gas extraction.
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Fruit and Vegetable Bucks: Adams County Grocery Store Snap Incentive Program
Describes and evaluates the Adams County Grocery Store SNAP Incentive for Produce in Winter/Early Spring – a program in rural Pennsylvania for residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to assist them in purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables.
Author(s): Amy B. Dailey, Audrey Hess, Camille Horton, et al.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organizations: Adams County Food Policy Council, Gettysburg College
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