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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Pennsylvania

Reversing Population Decline in Rural Pennsylvania
Explores the factors that attract or discourage people from relocating to and staying in rural areas, and how those factors align with existing population shrinkage strategies in rural communities. Discusses the importance of access to healthcare when people make decisions about living in rural or urban areas.
Author(s): Bing Ran, Joseph Hafer
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Health Centers and PCAs Working Toward Workforce Success
Podcast episode highlighting the challenges with recruiting and retaining healthcare workers in rural Pennsylvania areas. Discusses recruiting people to small towns and training nurses to work in rural and underserved areas.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: STAR² Center
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Obstetric Volume and Severe Maternal Morbidity Among Low-Risk and Higher-Risk Patients Giving Birth at Rural and Urban US Hospitals
Compares births in rural and urban counties in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina to identify associations between obstetric volume and morbidity in low and high risk patients. Discusses suggestions for improving morbidity rates.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Stephanie Leonard, Sara C. Handley, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(6)
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Patients in Western Pennsylvania: Rural–Urban Disparities
Examines the impact of COVID-19 and related concerns on cancer patients in rural and urban areas of Pennsylvania. Analyzes a sample of 1,980 patient surveys from August-December 2020 and March 2021 by patient perception of pandemic-related distress, cancer care, COVID-19 impact on personal health, and more. Includes rural versus urban data on COVID-19 concerns related to cancer care as well as demographic breakdowns.
Author(s): Kathryn Demanelis, Margaret Rosenzweig, Linda B. Robertson, et al.
Citation: Cancer Causes Control, 34(7), 595-609
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Barriers to Rural Health Care From the Provider Perspective
Results of a study using data from interviews with 20 healthcare providers in rural areas of western Pennsylvania. Explores barriers to care, including cost and insurance, geographic dispersion, and provider shortage and burnout. Offers strategies for improvement, including use of telehealth, mobile clinics, and increased use of advanced practice providers.
Author(s): Avinash Maganty, Mary E. Byrnes, Megan Hamm, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23(2), 7769
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Drug Overdoses in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania: A Progress Report
Assesses the change in the number of reported overdoses in rural and urban Pennsylvania from 2018 to 2022, using data from the Pennsylvania State Police's Overdose Information Network. Features a county-level map showing reported overdoses per 100,000 residents in 2022, and includes statistics on ages of rural overdose victims and overdose survival rates, percentages of overdose victims receiving naloxone, and post-naloxone actions, with breakdowns by urban or rural area.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania State Health Improvement Plan, 2023-2028
Multi-year strategic plan developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Healthy Pennsylvania Partnership, a multi-sector partnership of stakeholders and collaborators. Outlines steps and partnerships needed to achieve health equity, chronic disease prevention, and whole person care, and encourages policymakers, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and residents to promote and support health improvements throughout Pennsylvania.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
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Can Community Paramedicine Improve Health Outcomes in Rural America?
Profiles three community paramedicine programs that serve rural communities in the Midwest, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Describes how community paramedicine can help fill gaps in care in rural communities and improve health outcomes. Identifies challenges to the growth of rural community paramedicine programs, including funding, payment, and workforce.
Author(s): Vida Foubister
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Thomas Jefferson University Program Reflects on Nearly 50 Years of Producing Rural Doctors
Features the Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP), which has recruited and supported medical students from rural backgrounds who want to practice in rural communities since 1974. Describes how the program works and highlights its successes.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Train Derailments in Rural and Urban Pennsylvania, 2018 to 2022
Fact sheet analyzing train derailments in Pennsylvania and the U.S. from 2018 to November 30, 2022, using data from the Federal Railroad Administration's Office of Safety Analysis. Features state-level and Pennsylvania county-level maps showing locations and numbers of derailments, and statistics on types, costs, and speeds of derailments, with breakdowns by rural and urban locations.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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