Improving Rural Health in Pennsylvania

Together, we can strengthen rural healthcare and build healthier communities across Pennsylvania!

Aerial view of Confluence in Somerset County Pennsylvania

What we're trying to achieve

All Pennsylvanians deserve access to quality health care, no matter where they live.

In rural Pennsylvania, hospitals, clinics, and health care workers face unique challenges—but also great opportunities. The Commonwealth is working with local communities, providers, doctors, nurses, and leaders to improve rural health care, keep hospitals strong, and make care more affordable.

Help Improve Rural Health in Pennsylvania

Help shape the future of rural health in Pennsylvania. Sign up to receive updates on upcoming Rural Health Summits, opportunities to share your insights, and ways to collaborate with local leaders, providers, and community members.

Your voice matters—stay connected and help make a difference in rural communities across the Commonwealth.

Feedback Needed for PA's Rural Health Transformation Plan

Submit by: August 29, 2025

We are gathering information, concepts and additional ideas to shape the Commonwealth’s Rural Health Transformation Plan and reflect what we heard from rural providers, partners, and residents.

What we are asking for:

1. Information and concepts
in these summit-affirmed areas: Maternal Health, Mental and Behavioral Health, Aging and Access, Transportation and EMS, and the Rural Healthcare Workforce.

2. Other ideas
that improve access to care in rural communities, even if they fall outside those five areas.

Who can submit

Hospitals and health systems; healthcare professionals; FQHCs and rural health clinics;  state offices of rural health; grantees providing services in rural areas; healthcare leadership and administrators;  healthcare consumers; community action organizations; public and private business owners and organizations;  EMS and transportation providers; behavioral health, aging, and disability services partners, county commissioners, and other local or state government representatives, single county authorities, economic development organizations, professional organizations, community-based and faith-based organizations, philanthropy, and higher education and health provider training partners and other interested parties.

What to include

Information to assist the Department in enhancing and transforming rural health, including core concepts, target problems or opportunities for improvement, intended impact and success metrics, evidence or prior experiences, feasibility of ideas for rural settings, partners, costs and resources, innovation or adaptation, and sustainability.

Questions or accessibility need ra-hhRrlHlthTrnsPlan@pa.gov

The Department may use the information gathered through this process in the development of future implementation; however, the Department does not guarantee that this will occur.

Respondents should be aware that the responses will be public information and that no claims of confidentiality will be honored. The Department is not requesting, and does not require, confidential, proprietary information, or other competitively sensitive information to be included as part of a submission. Ownership of all data, material and documentation originated, prepared, and provided to the Department during this process will belong exclusively to the Department

Challenges & Opportunities

Many rural communities in PA struggle with hospital closures, doctor shortages, and long travel times for care.

But there are solutions! Telehealth, local partnerships, and new workforce programs are helping improve access and keep healthcare strong.

CHALLENGE

Limited Access to Health Care

Many rural communities in Pennsylvania have fewer hospitals, doctors, and specialists. Long travel times and provider shortages make it harder for people to get the care they need.

OPPORTUNITY

Regional Rural Health Care Summits

The Rural Health Summits bring local leaders together to find solutions, like expanding telehealth, supporting rural hospitals, and training more healthcare workers.

Highlights

Mark Stephens MD

"I Am a Rural Pennsylvanian"
poem written by Mark Stephens MD for the Juniata College Regional Rural Healthcare Summit

I am the low hum of wind through the tall, green corn,
The deep, earthy scent of hay freshly cut, a memory vibrant.
I am the dirt in these boots, ingrained, deep.
From sun-up chores to starlit quiet.

 

....

I grew up where the horizon stretched, uninterrupted,
A tapestry woven by seasons, hiding nothing.
Barefoot on welcoming porch swings, chasing fireflies as dusk settled,
Learning life's vital lessons, from dawn's first glimpse ‘til sunset’s fading light.

I pledge my hands, ..4H rooted lessons deep within me.
From the nervous flutter of public speaking to
raising market lambs, facing a judge's assessing eye.
Community built, leadership practiced,
Friendships forged, a silent pride swelling, expanding over time.
Planting seeds of future dreams, a hope every rural soul carries.

But shadows lengthen now, across our grand fields,
A quiet, growing struggle, woven into the rural landscape.
For the promise of revitalization, won't truly take hold, won't truly ascend,
Unless we tend to the well-being of our people, with all our collective strength.

Imagine the worry pressed onto faces, when a baby's almost here,
And the nearest maternity care is miles, hours away.
Anxious drives, hurried breaths, gnawing isolation.
Our mothers, our infants, deserve a gentle, nearby embrace,
Not endless roads, or sterile waiting rooms, a cold forgotten space.

And quiet battles fought alone, behind closed farmhouse doors,
Farmer suicide is real! Burdens carried in silence, until they can be carried no more.
A whispered plea, a fear of shame that endures, keeping people hidden,
While silent struggles fester, and rural sadness grows.
We need counselors, therapists, hands reaching out to find,
A path to healing, to understanding, for body and for mind.

The wisdom of age, a cherished gift, yet in rural lands, it's often a silent strife.
For our elders, the golden years can bring isolation, a lonely, quiet life.
Access to specialists, in-home care, and community's gentle embrace,
Are often scarce resources, leaving vulnerability in their place.
We must ensure our seniors, who built these fields and bore our rural pride,
Have comfort, dignity, and care, for them we must abide.

The open road, a symbol of freedom, becomes a barrier to in rural space,
When miles stretch long for folks to reach a healing, welcoming place.
Public transport is a whisper, oft unheard, unseen,
Leaving many without a ride, to reach their healthcare needs.
Emergency rooms grow distant, a lifeline hard to seize,
And chronic conditions worsen, bringing rural communities to their knees.
Let us think of innovative solutions, transport woven into our design,
So that access to care is not a luxury, but a right, for all to find.

So as we speak of progress, ambitious plans, economic gain,
Remember these deep currents, that shape our current pain.
I am a Rural Pennsylvanian, stories echo in my soul,
For our future's full flourishing, comprehensive healthcare is what can make us whole.
From birth's first fragile cry to wisdom's seasoned gaze, from transport to the troubled mind,
Let wellness be the harvest, for all of us to find.