Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Pennsylvania Resources

Social Determinants of Health in the Age of COVID: Effects of Social Isolation Among Adults 62+ in Rural Pennsylvania
Results of a study analyzing the extent of social isolation among rural Pennsylvanians aged 62 or older during the pandemic, evaluating determinants of social isolation, identifying programs and services that minimize social isolation, and assessing potential replicability in Pennsylvania. Includes sections on factors such as mental health access, faith-based organizations, transportation, technology use, and housing options.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Christopher Harris, FangHsun Wei, Mary Rita Weller, Kelly Smith
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
view details
An Analysis of Pennsylvania's Children
Report examining trends from 2010-2019 pertaining to Pennsylvania children ages 0-17, comparing and contrasting the profiles of rural and urban children. Provides statistics on dimensions including economic circumstances, education, foster care, insurance, access to healthcare, health, mortality, and use of alcohol and illicit drugs.
Author(s): Rhoda C. Joseph
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
view details
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Statewide Broadband Plan
Outlines goals and strategies to expand broadband access to rural and underserved areas of Pennsylvania. Describes importance of broadband in providing adequate, reliable emergency services, and enhancing tools to ensure access to healthcare services.
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
view details
Teledentistry Trends in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reviews the use of teledentistry during and following the COVID-19 pandemic in California, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and examines reimbursement issues and supports needed to enhance dental care in a post-COVID-19 world. Mentions rural throughout.
Author(s): Miranda Werts, Prashanta Patel, Elizabeth Mertz
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
view details
Pennsylvania SNAP Enrollment as Percent of Population, by County: September 2022
County-level map with percentages of SNAP enrollment and shadings indicating counties that are at or below the statewide rate and those that are above the statewide rate. Includes statistics on Pennsylvania SNAP enrollment by year from 2012-2022, with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
view details
Consumer Finances in Rural Appalachia
Describes the financial needs and challenges of consumers in rural Appalachia. Features sections on consumer finance profiles, including a section on medical debt, and consumer distress and delinquencies. Appendix A includes state-level statistics for the 13 Appalachian states, including percent of rural people with medical debt in the state.
Author(s): Matthew Liu, Cooper Luce, Michael Orevba, Shawn Sebastian, Cortnie Shupe
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
view details
Coroner/Medical Examiner Services in Pennsylvania
Provides information about Pennsylvania coroner/medical examiners (C/MEs), including office caseloads, funding, facilities, forensic capacity, vehicles and equipment, and staffing and training resources. Assesses how the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic affected county C/ME offices in urban and rural areas. Features statistics including deaths from COVID-19 and drug overdose from 2015-2021, with breakdowns by urban and rural counties.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Harry D. Holt, Ramona Stone, Christina VandePol
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
view details
Experience in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model: Barnes-Kasson County Hospital
Profiles Barnes-Kasson County Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital with three hospital-based Rural Health Clinics and a skilled nursing facility in Pennsylvania. Discusses the CAH's experience participating in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM). Describes the Barnes-Kasson transformation plan, challenges of the global budget model, peer learning and networking opportunities, and next steps.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
view details
Communities in Crisis: Exploring the PA Oral Health Workforce Shortages
Webinar presenting a panel discussion of Access to Oral Health Workforce Report: Part I, a July 2022 report on the status of the dental workforce in Pennsylvania. Transcript available by clicking the three dots on the line above the red Subscribe button.
Author(s): Helen Hawkey, Kelly A. Braun, Lauren Wagner, Meghan Bastin, Sean C. Boynes
Date: 08/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health
view details
Access to Oral Health Workforce Report: Part I
Examines ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in enhanced attrition of the Pennsylvania oral health workforce. Features statistics on Pennsylvania dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists, including number of Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs) in rural and urban Pennsylvania in 2019 and 2021, and county-level maps showing percentage change in licensed dental hygienists from 2015-2021, density of Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioners (PHDHPs) and EFDAs in 2021, and Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Mentions rural throughout.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Regional Assessment
Author(s): Helen Hawkey, Kelly A. Braun, Lauren Wagner, et al.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health
view details

Additional resources are available. See a full list of Pennsylvania Resources.


Last Updated: 1/8/2024