“Worker displacement” is the separation of long-tenured workers from their employer in a way that is involuntary, permanent and independent of on-the-job performance. This issue affects all Appalachians, regardless of age, education level or industry.

In our new research report, Worker Displacement in Appalachia, we examine how displacement rates vary throughout the region, based on a number of factors, and the outcomes workers face after job loss. 📅

Using data from the most recent Displaced Worker Supplements, along with other sources, the report sheds light on the experiences of displaced workers in Appalachia and provides insights to target resources to the group.

Worker Displacement in Appalachia is online now!

New data recently released show that Appalachia’s labor force participation continues to improve, although population growth is slower than in the nation as a whole.

This new data comes as part of our 15th annual update of The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2019-2023 American Community Survey, also known as “The Chartbook.”

The Chartbook offers a world of data on the Appalachian Region; dive in now!

More Key Takeaways From The Chartbook: 

⚙️ Decrease in Unemployment  
Appalachia’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.8 percentage points between 2014-2018 to 2019-2023, compared to a 0.4 percentage point decrease in the rest of the U.S.

🏠 Homeownership ️ 
Among occupied housing units, homeownership in the region was 6.7 percentage points higher than in the U.S. overall.

💵 Household Income  
At $64,588, the median household income in Appalachia is nearly $14,000 below the U.S. average of $78,538.

💸 Cost Burdens  
The share of households in Appalachia that are cost burdened — where housing costs are 30% or more of monthly income — is 6.7 percentage points lower than the U.S. average.

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) has released quarter four 2024 data.  This data includes facility charges and treatment information from Pennsylvania hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Inpatient and ambulatory/outpatient administrative and revenue Q4 2024 data files are available for purchase.

First quarter 2025 data is scheduled to be released October 2025.

For a fee, businesses, organizations, or individuals can request from PHC4’s Special Requests unit standard “ready-to-use” data or custom data that is generated based on specific populations. The data can also be linked to other data sources, such as the Pennsylvania vital statistics data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, to provide even greater value to you. Our analysts will work with you to meet the needs of your health care study or project.

By fostering a data-driven approach to health care, PHC4 envisions a healthier, more resilient society where resources are allocated effectively, and lives are improved. PHC4 aims to continue to serve its mission of empowering Pennsylvanians through transparency and welcomes you to review its public reports at phc4.org.

PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.

For more information, visit phc4.org or contact Special Requests and click here to request data.

Media contact:

Barry D. Buckingham, Executive Director, PHC4, bbuckingham@phc4.org

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.

Read more.

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.

Read more.

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.

Learn more.