The Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) breaks down the federal-state partnership that delivers meals to about 100,000 public and private not-for-profit schools. The report examines supply and demand in the last decade, the flow of funding, and challenges during and after the pandemic.
Click here to read the report.
In 2024, 19 people died of injuries suffered in farm-related incidents in Pennsylvania, according to researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
The Penn State Agricultural Safety and Health Program in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering — which also is affiliated with Penn State Extension — releases the “Pennsylvania Farm Fatal Injury Summary” annually. Researchers and extension educators use these data to identify hazards and risks associated with agricultural production and to inform the development of trainings and resources.
The 19 farm-related deaths in the state last year is lower than the 25-year average of 28 deaths per year. However, agricultural fatalities can fluctuate significantly from year to year, and reported incidents may represent just the tip of the iceberg, experts noted, as injuries — another concern — are not well tracked.
Nearly one in every 10 infants in the United States is born preterm, or before 37 weeks of gestational age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infants born with very low birthweights — under 3.3 pounds at birth — are disproportionately very preterm — 29-weeks gestation or earlier. These infants make up 1% of births, but account for more than half of infant deaths in the United States each year. The mortality rate for infants born very preterm, and length of hospital stay, may vary across health systems, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State.
Led by Jeannette Rogowski, professor of health policy and administration at Penn State, the team found that where a very preterm baby is born or receives care immediately after birth can increase or decrease the chance of survival by two percentage points. The findings, which the researchers said demonstrate potential for quality improvement among the nation’s neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in health systems, were published in JAMA Network Open.
A previous study led by Rogowski found that approximately 84% of very preterm infants are born in a hospital that is part of a consolidated multi-hospital system — a system with two or more hospitals. Among pediatric patients, very preterm infants are the most vulnerable population. However, the variation in the quality of care for very preterm infants across health systems was unknown. This study was the first to address this question, according to Rogowski.
The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) drove the expanded use of telehealth, during which time healthcare providers deferred elective and preventive visits and many patients avoided necessary healthcare services to minimize their risk of exposure, resulting in a shift to telehealth to provide access to essential healthcare services.
To date, little information has been available on the organizational challenges associated with the provision of telehealth services by Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). This project asked leaders in selected RHCs and FQHCs to identify challenges, trends, and resources needed in adapting telehealth services to their settings.
Finding of this study include implementation and operational challenges as well as opportunities.
Please click here to read the brief.
Rural Telehealth Research Center
Rural Telehealth Research Center, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, 1008 RCP, Iowa City, IA 52242
Email: rtrc-inquiry@uiowa.edu
www.ruraltelehealth.org
The loss of Community Health Center (CHC), sites in the United States is associated with a significant increase in county-level mortality, particularly in underserved areas, according to a new national study.
The peer-reviewed study, which was published in April 2025 in Health Services Research, analyzed data from 3,142 U.S. counties between 2011 and 2019, and found that counties that lost CHC sites in 2014 experienced an average increase of 3.54 age-adjusted all-cause deaths per 100,000 residents in the year following the loss. This increase was most pronounced in cancer-related deaths, which rose by 2.61 deaths per 100,000 residents. The closures appeared to have a lasting impact in the years that followed, according to the researchers.
Did you know you can check out all the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) data and reports in one place? Check out the DHS Data Dashboards and Reports page for Medicaid data by county, legislative district, and more. The page also includes data for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Report topics include child welfare, county block grant funds, early childhood education, developmental programs, long-term care, Medicaid, mental health, personal care homes, and the Office of Long-Term Living.
Pennsylvania ranks 20th in child well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring in post-pandemic America. The data show Pennsylvania leaders — particularly its congressional delegation — must do more to protect critical safety net programs that help children thrive.
In the Data Book’s economic well-being domain, which examines child poverty among other indicators, Pennsylvania ranks 22nd. In 2023, approximately 16%, or 404,000 of the state’s children, lived in poverty (defined as yearly income below $30,900 for a family of two adults and two children).
According to the Data Book, Pennsylvania ranks 20th in the health domain, with 147,000 uninsured children in the commonwealth. In every community across Pennsylvania, Medicaid plays a significant role in keeping kids covered and healthy. As families grapple with the rising costs of everyday expenses, it’s more important than ever that they have access to high-quality, affordable health care for both physical and mental health.
Congress is considering the largest cuts to Medicaid in the program’s history, which would jeopardize coverage for more than 1.2 million children (39% of the state’s child population) who rely on it. This includes children with special health care needs, those living in the foster care system, children in rural areas, children from military families, and those in low-income working families.
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budgets and afford nutritious food essential to health and well-being, is also on the chopping block as Congress considers massive federal cuts to the program. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, 24% of all Pennsylvania children and young adults under 21 (or nearly 760,000) are enrolled in SNAP.
Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors — and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.
In its 36th year of publication, the KIDS COUNT® Data Book provides reliable statewide numbers to help leaders see where progress is being made, where greater support is needed and which strategies are making a difference. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children encourages lawmakers and officials to use this detailed information to unite across party lines and respond with initiatives that invest in young people. By offering a local road map, the Data Book equips policymakers, advocates and communities with the information they need to make decisions that help kids and young people thrive.
The 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book is available at www.aecf.org/databook and Pennsylvania’s data profile can be found here.
State medical licensure requirements are often cited as a barrier to adopting telehealth due to the administrative steps needed to obtain licensure for provision of out-of-state telehealth services (OOS-TH). State-level policies to address these barriers include licensure compacts (e.g., the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact [IMLC]) or adoption of limited telehealth licenses. The IMLC – conceptualized in 2013 – is the most common approach. States and territories authorize participation in the IMLC through state legislation, and eligible physicians obtain licenses in participating states through expedited information-sharing. Many states relaxed licensure restrictions during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). This brief seeks to classify the changes in telehealth-related policies pertaining to physician medical licensure for use of OOS-TH that occurred between 2018 and 2022.
Among findings are that 23 states were part of the IMLC prior to 2018 and 14 states joined between 2018 and 2022. Between July 2022 and October 2022, most of those 47 states further relaxed their telehealth licensure policies (distinct from their participation in the IMLC) by accepting an OOS medical license for a physician in good standing from another state or establishing an expedited approval process for an OOS provider.
Please click here to read the brief.
Rural Telehealth Research Center
Rural Telehealth Research Center, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, 1008 RCP, Iowa City, IA 52242
Email: rtrc-inquiry@uiowa.edu
www.ruraltelehealth.org
Medical debt, which includes unpaid bills, loans, and other debt incurred from health care expenses, affects roughly 15% of adults in the U.S. This is despite more than 90% of U.S. adults having some form of health insurance. Medical debt is an important social driver of health, with disproportionate impacts for populations already experiencing greater health risks. Overall, rural residents report more problems paying medical bills and are more likely to be unable to pay their medical bills altogether in comparison to urban residents. This case series from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines how two rural hospitals aim to reduce medical debt for their patient populations and address barriers to medical debt relief.
From Becker’s Hospital Review
Proposed healthcare cuts in Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” could place 338 financially struggling rural hospitals at risk of closure, according to the data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The data was prepared following a request from Senate Democrats, who released the findings June 12.
The 338 hospitals either experienced three consecutive years of negative total margins, served the highest share of Medicaid patients, or both.
“Substantial cuts to Medicaid or Medicare payments could increase the number of unprofitable rural hospitals and elevate their risk of financial distress,” the Shep Center researchers said. “In response, hospitals may be forced to reduce service lines, convert to a different type of health care facility, or close altogether.”
The states with the highest number of hospitals at risk are Kentucky (35), Louisiana (33), California (28) and Oklahoma (21).
Here is the breakdown of at-risk rural hospitals by state:
