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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Pennsylvania

Community-Based FORHP Grants: Focusing on Rural Needs
Video series featuring the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's community-based grant programs. Includes a broad overview of the various grant programs available and their impact on rural healthcare and population health. Grantees share how they have used this funding to address the needs of their communities.
Date: 07/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Selected Rural Healthcare Facilities in Pennsylvania
Shows the state's Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), as well as Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites and short term/PPS (Prospective Payment System) hospitals located in rural areas.
Date: 07/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An Examination of Emergency Food Supply and Distribution in Rural Pennsylvania
Examines the strengths and challenges faced by the Pennsylvania emergency food network in meeting the needs of residents, especially those in rural areas. Uses survey, interview, and observational data from a sample of 22 food banks, 35 partner agencies, and 65 residents served by the partner agencies.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Kristina Brant, Justine Lindemann, Hazel Velasco Palacios, Nicholas Demerly, Jihyun Shin
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey Chartbook
State- and county-level information on population, age, race and ethnicity, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2024
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Access to Accredited Facilities for Cancer Treatment
Examines access to cancer care at accredited hospitals in Pennsylvania due to expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Analyzes patient characteristics before and after ACA implementation, with breakdowns according to sex, age, race/ethnicity, area deprivation, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location, among other characteristics. Provides commentary on ACA impacts for patients in nonurban areas.
Author(s): Lindsay M. Sabik, Youngmin Kwon, Coleman Drake, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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Health Care Coalitions: A Resource to Support Critical Access Hospital Emergency Preparedness Planning
Describes unique challenges Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) face regarding emergency preparedness planning. Presents findings from interviews with leaders from 8 statewide or regional healthcare coalitions (HCCs) regarding strategies and resources HCCs provide to support the CAH emergency preparedness planning process. Outlines the functions and roles of HCCs by the 4 Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) capability goals.
Author(s): John Gale, Karen Pearson, Rebecca Stearns
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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HPV ECHO for Providers: Strengthening Opportunities to Increase HPV Vaccination Coverage in Rural Primary Care
Discusses a study using the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Model to train rural primary care clinics to deliver evidence-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine communication to rural families in Pennsylvania. Highlights initial findings related to communication strategy and effectiveness.
Author(s): William A. Calo, Josheili Y. Llavona-Ortiz
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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Aging Our Way, PA: A Plan for Lifelong Independence
Draft of a master plan for aging (MPA) for Pennsylvania. Highlights 5 priorities areas and their associated strategies and tactics related to access to services, aging in place, independence, caregiving, and awareness building. Includes rural throughout.
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Aging
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Services to Individuals with Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability, or Autism Through the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs
Examines ways to deliver services to individuals with intellectual disability, developmental disability, and autism, and offers recommendations for offering services efficiently and uniformly. Includes sections on Medicaid waivers, types of services, workforce development, and program accountability. Features a section on transportation challenges in rural areas for people with disabilities.
Author(s): Yvonne Llewellyn Hursh, Stephen J. Kramer, Wendy L. Baker
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Lessons Learned from Efforts to Support Vulnerable Critical Access and Other Rural Hospitals
Provides an overview of state and federal programs, demonstrations, and models designed to support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and other rural hospitals. Describes challenges facing CAHs and rural hospitals, including chronic workforce shortages, high operating and staffing costs, inadequate reimbursement, operational and regulatory issues, and the diverse demographics of rural communities. Discusses lessons learned, the new for a new rural hospital model, and next steps.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Karen Pearson
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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