UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH) launched its 2024-27 strategic plan, which serves as the framework for enhancing the health status of rural Pennsylvanians and ensuring that rural residents have access to high quality, affordable health care.
Rural health challenges persist over time, such as limited access to health care services, provider recruitment and changing demographics. PORH has laid out six key goals and strategies to address the evolving needs of rural health care delivery across the state and nation.
“This three-year plan builds on our three decades of rural health advancement and is a framework for the future,” said Lisa Davis, PORH director and outreach associate professor of health policy and administration at Penn State. “Health care across the state and nation is transforming, and we need to focus our lens on current issues and future trends to ensure access to quality health in Pennsylvania, regardless of geographic location.”
A leading goal is the launch of a rural health policy agenda for Pennsylvania that reflects current and projected data; integrates quality improvement, health care transformation and community and public health; and engages stakeholders from all sectors, including health care, education, policy and payment.
PORH aims to strengthen the rural health care delivery system through workforce programs; engagement in quality improvement initiatives; medical, oral and behavioral health integration; and technical assistance to rural hospitals, clinics; local, state and national associations and organizations; elected officials; and others, according to Davis. Community and population health improvement are central to these actions.
The plan outlines advocacy strategies for rural health care delivery systems at the local, state and national levels; federal and state payment and delivery system reform; and ensuring that the rural voice is reflected in the creation of policies, legislation, regulations and programming.
PORH will expand technical and compliance assistance for agricultural producers with an increased emphasis on Anabaptist populations and migrant and immigrant farm workers. The office will offer certification programs for swimming pool pesticide applicators and host continuing education and outreach programs on grant writing, rural community and public health, human trafficking and more.
To support these goals, PORH will increase its infrastructure and operations to support activities through existing and new state and national partnerships and support.
PORH is dedicated to enhancing the health of rural Pennsylvanians to improve access to high quality health care services in rural areas of the state, Davis said. As one of 50 state offices of rural health in the nation, PORH is a partnership between the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is located in the Department of Health Policy and Administration at Penn State University Park. More information about PORH’s programs, initiatives and strategic plan can be found at porh.psu.edu or by contacting 814-863-8214.