Pennsylvania resources via the Rural Health Information Hub

News: Pa. Pediatricians Want to Help Improve Child Literacy Rates by 'Prescribing' Books at Health Visits

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:20:37 -0500

Describes a book prescription program that is expanding across Pennsylvania including into rural areas. The program includes a book at each checkup and aims to improve literacy, promote brain development, and build trust between pediatricians and families.

Resource: More Than Half of Rural Counties Declined Faster Than Projected: An Analysis of the 2025 Census Data - Pennsylvania

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:09:15 -0500

Examines Pennsylvania population trends and the components driving them. Features statistics on percent changes in demographic characteristics between 2025 census estimates and 2023 Center for Rural Pennsylvania projections, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas. Includes county- and municipal-level maps showing changes in population from 2024 to 2025, and county-by-county statistics showing population changes from 2020 to 2025. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: How Primary Care Medics Can Bring Needed Health Care to Rural Americans

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:37:22 -0500

Describes Penn State College of Medicine's Primary Care Medic Project, a certificate-based pathway under development that will train local individuals to deliver primary and preventive care under the supervision of licensed clinicians. Discusses how primary care medics will fill gaps between community-based outreach and licensed primary care providers. Compares the scope of practice of primary care medics with those of community health workers, paramedics, and registered nurses, among others. -- Commonwealth Fund

News: This Rural Pennsylvania Pediatric Clinic Is Reimagining Postpartum Care

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:33:38 -0500

Describes a postpartum care initiative in a rural Pennsylvania town aiming to support new mothers and increase breastfeeding rates.

Resource: 2025 Pennsylvania Farm Fatal Injury Summary

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:36:40 -0500

Summarizes data related to farm fatal injuries in Pennsylvania in 2025. Includes statistics on victim demographics, types of injuries, and events leading to fatal injuries, and features a county-level map showing numbers of farm fatalities.

Funding opportunity: Appalachian Region Healthcare Technical Assistance Center Assistance

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:21:28 -0500

Technical assistance for Appalachian healthcare providers and communities. Eligible organizations may receive guidance and funding to launch or enhance critical needed service lines. -- Rural Health Redesign Center

Resource: Rural Health Transformation Program State Initiatives Summaries: Rural Healthy Aging Program Initiatives

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:04:37 -0500

Highlights activities supporting rural aging in state Rural Health Transformation Programs applications. -- National Rural Health Association

Resource: Assessing Homeowner Perspectives and Barriers to Maintenance of On-Lot Septic Systems in Rural Pennsylvania

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:24:05 -0500

Results of a study surveying septic system users in Pennsylvania in 2024 and 2025 to assess whether residents follow current maintenance guidelines, to examine barriers and needs for proper maintenance, and to evaluate water contaminants in private water sources. Features statistics including age of systems, pumping frequency, and contaminant detection frequencies of water samples, including drinking water. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: A Comparative Analysis of Job Satisfaction and Intent to Leave Among Rural and Urban Caseworkers in Pennsylvania's Child Welfare Agencies

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:03:28 -0500

Findings from a survey of Pennsylvania child welfare caseworkers, identifying factors influencing job satisfaction, performance, and intent to leave. Recommends changes at the agency level and state-level policy changes related to child welfare caseworker workload, salaries, and funding. Features statistics including staff turnover from 2019-2023 with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, and reported cases of child abuse in 2023 with breakdowns by county. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: Pennsylvania Rural Obstetrical Workforce

Wed, 27 May 2026 08:43:07 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the obstetricians and advanced practice midwives workforce distribution in Pennsylvania in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Pennsylvania Rural Behavioral Health Workforce

Wed, 27 May 2026 08:41:02 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the supply and distribution of behavioral health clinicians in Pennsylvania in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Pennsylvania Rural Primary Care Workforce

Wed, 27 May 2026 08:38:32 -0500

Offers maps and tables of the primary care workforce distribution in Pennsylvania in 2025. Includes county-level data and rural and urban comparisons. -- WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Resource: Pennsylvania Rural Health Transformation Program Funding Opportunities

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:52:41 -0500

Lists current and upcoming funding opportunities available through the Pennsylvania Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to help implement Pennsylvania's approved RHTP initiatives and activities. -- Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Resource: Analysis of Pennsylvania Crime Trends: An Updated Rural/Urban Comparison

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:46:51 -0500

Examines rural and urban crime trends in Pennsylvania from 2013-2023. Identifies areas where rural crime trends differ from urban patterns, and highlights differences across rural regions of the state. Features statistics on crime rates by offense category, injuries due to assault, access to drug and alcohol treatment centers, and most prevalent property crimes, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, and Philadelphia alone. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: Pennsylvania Cancer Surgery Volume Report: July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 Data

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:18:33 -0500

Offers information about the number of cancer-related surgeries performed at each Pennsylvania hospital and ambulatory surgery center. Features statistics with breakdowns by county, facility type, and by 13 types of cancer. -- Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council

Resource: Updated Locations of Hospitals with a Labor and Delivery Unit in Pennsylvania, 2026

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:35:43 -0600

County-level map showing locations of the 75 Pennsylvania hospitals with labor and delivery units, and shadings showing counties with no labor and delivery units. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Event: 2026 Annual NOSORH Meeting

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0600

Pittsburgh PA
September 1, 2026 -- National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

Resource: Financial Analysis 2024, Rural Hospitals: An Annual Report on the Financial Health of Pennsylvania Rural Hospitals

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:51:34 -0600

Provides data on general acute care (GAC) hospitals located in rural counties, as defined by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Features financial statistics for GAC hospitals from 2021-2024, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas. -- Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council

Resource: Update: The Expanding Maternity Care Desert in Pennsylvania

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:29:14 -0600

Provides an overview of labor and delivery services in rural Pennsylvania and implications of limited access to maternity care. Features county-level maps showing locations of Pennsylvania hospitals with labor and delivery units and areas that are a 20-minute drive from a labor and delivery unit, as of 2026. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: Harvesting Risk: An Ecologic Study of Agricultural Practices and Patterns and Melanoma Incidence in Pennsylvania

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 10:51:42 -0600

Examines associations between melanoma incidence, agricultural land use, and herbicide-treated acreage in a 15-county cluster in southern Pennsylvania including both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties, utilizing 2017-2021 PA Cancer Registry data. Discusses how environmental, occupational, and behavioral challenges related to agriculture and cancer incidence are shared among urban and rural communities.

Resource: Pennsylvania Rural-Urban Maps

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:26:22 -0600

Offers explanation of calculation by which population density is determined, and definitions of rural and urban as applied to counties, school districts, and municipalities in Pennsylvania. Includes statistics on population density by county as of 2020, with shadings indicating urban or rural area. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: Supporting Rural Primary Care Through Project ECHO: A Brief Case Report

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:19:30 -0600

Discusses a collaborative telementoring program developed by the Project ECHO team at Penn State University which focuses on addressing rural primary care clinician burnout. Details program implementation and results among 106 participants across 2 cohorts.

Resource: Improving Rural Health in Pennsylvania

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:52:41 -0600

Provides information on Pennsylvania's Rural Health Transformation Program. Presents an overview of how Pennsylvania plans to address the five goals of the program and links to the state's project narrative. -- Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Resource: A Twenty-Year Review: Revisiting the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Funding Needs and Gaps in the Appalachian Region

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:25:28 -0600

Provides county, state, and metro versus nonmetro data on water and wastewater infrastructure in the Appalachian region. Discusses funding and collaborative possibilities to improve critical infrastructure in Appalachian communities. -- Appalachian Regional Commission

Resource: Total Fertility Rates by Pennsylvania County, 2019 to 2023

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 09:41:22 -0500

Map showing fertility rates by Pennsylvania county for women 15-44 years old, with shadings showing counties at or above replacement rate and those below replacement rate. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: Natural Population Change (Births Minus Deaths) by Pennsylvania County, 2020 to 2023

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 09:20:16 -0500

Map showing the change in the number of people living in each Pennsylvania county from 2020 to 2023. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: Building a Sustainable Oral Health Workforce in Pennsylvania: Strategies for Reinvigorating Dental Careers and Strengthening the Pipeline

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:03:18 -0500

Features recommendations to guide efforts to build a strong and sustainable dental workforce pipeline for Pennsylvania, by increasing supply of providers and improving retention rates. Mentions rural throughout. -- Pennsylvania Department of Health

Resource: Pennsylvania Common Procedures Report 2024

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:58:00 -0500

Provides information about the performance and utilization of Pennsylvania hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers for spinal fusion, total hip replacement, and total knee replacement, using data from October 2023 through September 2024. Includes hospitalization rates for each procedure by urban and rural areas, among other breakdowns. -- Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council

Resource: More Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners in Rural Pennsylvania Than a Decade Ago

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:25:43 -0500

Fact sheet describing the increase in number of rural physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) in Pennsylvania from 2013 to 2023. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas, and a county-level map showing numbers of PAs and NPs as of 2023, with shadings showing urban and rural counties. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Resource: Number of Skilled Nursing Facilities by Pennsylvania County, 2024

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 16:04:28 -0500

County-level Pennsylvania map showing numbers of skilled nursing facilities as of 2024, and shadings showing counties with fewer than 5, 5-9, and 10 or more facilities. -- Center for Rural Pennsylvania