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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Pennsylvania

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
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Survey of Pennsylvania Emergency Medical Services Agencies
Results of a December 2021 survey of 389 directors of urban, rural, and mixed Pennsylvania emergency medical services agencies. Features statistics on topics including staffing, finances, changes in providers, recruitment and retention, and strategic planning, with breakdowns by rural and urban/mixed classifications.
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Urban–Rural Differences in Health Care Utilization and COVID-19 Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Examines associations of COVID-19 patients with type 2 diabetes by hospitalization outcomes and community type. Utilizes electronic health records (EHRs) from a Pennsylvania health system for COVID-19 outcomes such as death, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ventilation, thromboembolism, and myocardial damage. Analyzes EHR data across township, borough, and city census tracts to understand relationships among rurality, socioeconomic deprivation, and COVID-19 outcomes.
Author(s): Annemarie G. Hirsch, Cara M. Nordberg, Karen Bandeen-Roche, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
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Latino/a Farmworkers' Concerns about Safety and Health in the Pennsylvania Mushroom Industry
Interviews 60 Latino/a Pennsylvania mushroom farm farmworkers between September 2018 and January 2019 to determine their perception of occupational health and safety in their workplaces. Data show types of injuries and workplace conditions contributing to injuries broken down by gender.
Author(s): Kathleen Sexsmith, Effie E. Palacios, Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch, Ilse A. Huerta Arredondo
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine 27(2), 169-182
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
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Community Engagement: An Essential Component of an Effective and Equitable Substance Use Prevention System
Describes the role of community engagement for tribal, urban, suburban, and rural communities when developing equitable evidence-based programs and policies supporting substance use prevention programs. Discusses research focused on community engagement activities and outcomes, hands-on strategies derived from participation in community engagement, and evaluation as part of the planning and implementation process. Presents examples of how community engagement facilitates substance use prevention systems in rural and tribal communities.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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COVID-19 Effects on Pennsylvania Crime Trends: A Rural/Urban Comparison
Examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on murder and abuse in Pennsylvania, and identifies rural-urban differences in these outcomes before and during the pandemic. Features statistics on yearly homicide totals and protection orders, with breakdowns by rural counties, Philadelphia county, and other urban counties.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): David Yerger, Brandon Vick, Robert Orth, Charles Gartside
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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The Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM): Second Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluates the second year of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model (PARHM), an initiative designed to test if global budgets can help rural hospitals improve their financial viability, provide flexibility to meet locally defined community health needs, and reduce overall healthcare spending. Provides an overview of the model and describes the implementation experience of participating hospitals and payers. Presents a descriptive quantitative assessment of financial performance, spending and utilization, access to care, and quality of care outcomes during the second performance year.
Additional links: Appendix, Findings at a Glance
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Geographic Disparities in New Onset of Internalizing Disorders in Pennsylvania Adolescents Using Electronic Health Records
Examines the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among adolescents in 37 Pennsylvania counties. Includes demographic breakdowns of 7,974 subjects with internalizing disorder cases residing in rural, urban cluster, or urbanized areas. Discusses the relationship of geographic location, socioeconomic deprivation, and community greenness in relation to internalizing disorders.
Author(s): Irena Gorski-Steiner, Sean O'Dell, Karen Bandeen-Roche, et al.
Citation: Spatial and Spatio-Temporal Epidemiology, 41, 100439
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
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Rural Youth Survey: Trends and Developments in the Attitudes and Aspirations of Rural Pennsylvania Youth
Results of a study conducted in the spring of 2021, to document the educational, career, and residential aspirations of rural Pennsylvania 9th and 11th grade students, to examine factors that shape aspirations, and to detail opportunities and barriers that youth experience. Notes that healthcare was the most common career field sought by students. Offers recommendation that additional mental health support be provided for rural youth as they return to in-person schooling after the COVID pandemic. Features demographics and statistics on career aspirations, with breakdowns by type of employment.
Author(s): Lacey Wallace, Sam Tanner, Freyca Calderon-Berumen, Lauren Jacobson
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Access to Maternity and Obstetric Care in Rural Pennsylvania
Examines access to maternity care in rural Pennsylvania, using federal- and state-level data to determine the distribution of birthing facilities and birth attendants. Includes a workforce analysis to forecast the supply of and demand for care providers and to identify gaps where supply will not meet demand. Provides a survey of stakeholders and key informants, to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and solutions to improving access to maternity care.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Sharon Bernecki DeJoy, David J. Doorn
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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