New Statistics Available: 2016–2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 

Posted on by lad3

The U.S. Census Bureau released new statistics from the 2016–2020 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. Following pandemic-related data collection disruptions, the Census Bureau revised its methodology to reduce nonresponse bias in data collected in 2020. After evaluating the effectiveness of this methodology, the Census Bureau determined the standard, full suite of 2016–2020 ACS 5-year data are fit for public release, government and business uses.

Median Household Income 

  • The newly released 2016–2020 ACS 5-year data shows that Pennsylvania’s median household income increased to $63,627 when compared to the 2011–2015 ACS 5-year data adjusted for inflation.
  • Between the two nonoverlapping periods, median household income increased in 66 of the state’s 67 counties. The largest increase was in Chester County (+$10,205) and the largest decline in Bradford County (-$1,180).

Poverty

  • From 2011–2015 to 2016–2020, the overall poverty rate for Pennsylvania decreased from 13.5% to 12.0%.
  • From 2011–2015 to 2016–2020, the poverty rate decreased in 59 of the state’s 67 counties, with the largest decrease in Juniata County (-3.8%). The rate increased in 7 counties, with the largest increase in Cameron County (+5.2%). There was no change in Schuylkill County (remained at 13.1%).

The revised methodology improves the 2020 weighted survey responses by comparing characteristics for responding and nonresponding households using administrative, third-party and decennial census data. The resulting 2020 input data were then integrated with the inputs from 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 (processed using standard ACS methodology) to produce the 5-year data products. To learn more about changes to the methodology, view the methodology user note.

It is important to note, the ACS 5-year estimates are not designed to measure rapid change during short periods because the data come from a 5-year period. Although the most recent estimates contain data that include the economic shock from the COVID-19 pandemic, they also contain data collected in the final years (2016–2019) of the longest expansion in the history of U.S. business cycles. These data only reflect a small part of the impact of the pandemic on social, economic and housing measures.

Data users should use caution when comparing 2016–2020 5-year estimates to earlier ACS data. For more information, visit comparison guidance. To learn more about the ACS 5-year period estimates, read Period Estimates in the American Community Survey.

Changes to Race and Hispanic Origin 

The findings on race and ethnicity from the 2016–2020 ACS were similar to the 2020 Census results.

  • The White population remained the largest race or ethnicity group in the state, however this population declined by 2.6% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020. The American Indian and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations also declined during this period.
  • The multiracial (the Two or More Races) population increased by 58.8% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020.
  • The Some Other Race population increased 23.6% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020 while the Asian population increased 14.4% and the Black or African American population increased 1.2% during this period.
  • The Hispanic or Latino population, which includes people of any race, increased by 19.2% between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020.

The 2016–2020 ACS 5-year estimates also reflect planned changes made to the design, processing and coding of the race and Hispanic origin questions.

Beginning in 2020, the Census Bureau implemented changes to the Hispanic origin and race questions based on extensive research and outreach over the past decade. The improvements made to the design, processing and coding of the Hispanic origin and race questions are similar to changes made in the 2020 Census.

The differences in the overall racial distributions relative to 2011–2015 ACS data are largely due to improvements in the design of the two separate questions for Hispanic origin and race data collection and processing as well as some demographic changes.

The Census Bureau is also set to release the ACS 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) and the Variance Replicate Estimates (VRE) on March 31, 2022.

New Release: An Update on Cancer Deaths in the United States

Posted on by lad3

A new report on cancer, An Update on Cancer Deaths in the United States, uses the latest cancer death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Center for Health Statistics. In 2020, almost 603,000 people died of cancer in the United States, but cancer death rates have continued to drop. Cancer deaths have dropped 27% over 20 years from 2001 to 2020. In other findings:

  • Cancer remained the second leading cause of death, after heart disease in 2020. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death.
  • Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death, attributing to 23% of all cancer deaths.
  • Cancer death rates differed by cancer type, sex, racial and ethnic group, and residence in an urban or rural county.

Learn More

UPMC Launches First Tele-ED in Pennsylvania at UPMC Kane

Posted on by lad3

From the Bradford (PA) Era

UPMC is leveraging its clinical expertise and innovative technology to launch the first tele-Emergency Department (Tele-ED) in Pennsylvania at UPMC Kane in McKean County.

In line with the Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines announced on March 2 to increase patient access to care through innovative delivery models, UPMC created a first-of-its kind in Pennsylvania rural health care approach that will allow access to excellent emergency medical care at UPMC Kane.

“UPMC is committed to advancing access to quality health care for all our patients, wherever they live and work,” said Donald M. Yealy, M.D., UPMC chief medical officer and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “This new model of care will meet the needs of the community, today and into the future, while using all available resources across our deep and talented workforce.”

UPMC Kane is partnering with UPMC Hamot in Erie to create an emergency medicine collaboration using advanced telemedicine technology.  Board certified emergency medicine physicians located at UPMC Hamot, 94 miles away in Erie, partner with on-site, trained advanced practice providers (APPs) at UPMC Kane, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide the best care for all who seek it.

“Bedside care is delivered by physician assistants (PAs) and certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs) at UPMC Kane using advanced video, audio and examination technology to connect patients seamlessly and quickly with board-certified emergency medicine physicians at UPMC Hamot,” said Mark Papalia, UPMC Kane president. “Together, the APP and physician diagnose and care for the patient.”

UPMC Kane is an acute care hospital located in a remote, rural community with an average daily inpatient census of five to six hospitalized patients and approximately 6,000 total emergency department visits each year.UPMC Hamot is the advanced tertiary care regional hub for UPMC in northwest Pennsylvania and southwest New York caring for nearly 70,000 patients in the emergency department annually. UPMC Hamot provides high-level specialized care and is a Level II trauma center, the only accredited trauma center in the Erie region.

“Accessibility and long-term sustainability are the driving forces behind UPMC Kane’s innovative model,” said Yealy. “In rural communities across the country, the ratio of physicians to patients is approximately half that of suburban and urban areas. More than 100 rural hospitals closed across the country over the past decade in part because of recruitment challenges. Much of rural America is medically underserved creating the necessity for new models of care to improve access to and quality of health care.”

This innovation for rural health care delivery results from careful planning and training within the UPMC Kane transformation plan to improve rural health care and enhance access, as part of its enrollment in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model. As a participating hospital of the initiative, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) permitted UPMC Kane to pursue Tele-ED program development and launch in Pennsylvania in advance of the Commonwealth’s March 2 rural health guidelines announcement.

“UPMC Kane has been successfully operating a similar inpatient tele-hospitalist program since May of 2021,” said Papalia. “The program is in partnership with the UPMC Center for Community Hospitalist Medicine. Through this technology innovation, inpatients receive virtual rounds and on-demand consultation access with UPMC’s vast network of physicians and advanced clinical resources.”

Alike to a Tele-ED, the tele-hospitalist program enhances and improves rural health care through a sustainable, vibrant and transformational new model of care. “UPMC remains committed to creating the highest levels of access and quality care for patients in every community we serve,” added Yealy. “This new model of Tele-ED care represents looking ahead by designing sustainable models of health care delivery for the future that also serve our patients’ needs today.  We are here to care for our communities and provide even greater access to the excellent care and expertise of UPMC.”

Healthy People 2020 Final Review

Posted on by lad3

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released the Overview of Health Disparities, the final component in the Healthy People 2020 Final Review suite of products. This component displays changes over time in disparities for a subset of measurable objectives by six selected characteristics: sex, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, family income, disability status, and geographic location.

The Overview of Health Disparities is interactive and includes a chart and table that can be filtered by Healthy People 2020 topic area(s) and population characteristic(s).

View all of the Healthy People 2020 Final Review materials.

Tips from Former Smokers® Campaign Launch

Posted on by lad3

2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the Tips From Former Smokers® (Tips®) campaign from CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. This year, ads will appear on network broadcast television and national cable television, Monday–Friday, from February 28 to March 27. Ads will feature Christine B., who quit smoking after she was diagnosed with oral cancer. CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health has developed an online toolkit that includes images and messages about the campaign. CDC Tobacco Free Twitter and Facebook accounts will also be sharing more about Christine B.’s story throughout the month. Dental professionals can play a critical role in helping their patients quit tobacco use. We encourage you to learn more about the Tips® campaign by accessing the toolkit and engaging with the social posts. Learn more.

Dental professionals can also learn effective strategies on how to talk to patients about tobacco use and referring to QuitLine resources by taking Integrating Nicotine Dependence Treatment with Oral Health: For Dental Professionals (INDTOH). This free, two-part webinar series is hosted by PCOH and presented in partnership with Nicotine Free NWPA and includes 2.5 CEUs.

Mission of Mercy in Pennsylvania (MOM-n-PA) Volunteer Registration Now Open!

Posted on by lad3

MOM-n-PA is an annual two-day free dental clinic for Pennsylvanians who cannot afford dental care. MOM-n-PA provides dental care for the relief of pain to thousands of the most needy, many of whom are from working families who do not have access or cannot afford dental insurance.
This year’s event will be held in York, PA on June 10 and 11, 2022.

Click here for volunteer information and registration.

No Surprises Act: Consumer Stakeholder Listening Sessions Announced on the Implementation

Posted on by lad3

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to host a series of listening sessions to obtain feedback on CMS’ efforts to help ensure robust awareness, outreach, and education for consumers and consumer stakeholders of important new No Surprises Act (NSA) protections. We are pleased to announce that we have added an additional session for June 2, 2022 at 3:00 PM ET.

 

In this series of listening sessions, we wish to first understand from consumer advocates the role they can play to help educate consumers about the protections in the NSA as well as to receive input from the field about the consumer experience so far. We also want feedback from consumer advocates on the tools, consumer website, guidance, social media, paid media, marketing, word of mouth awareness, and other resources necessary to help educate consumers on their rights and protections under NSA.  

 

The sessions will have a question and answer chat and we will address as many on-topic comments, ideas, and questions as time permits. We will likely not be able to respond to all comments individually, but all those we receive will be used to improve our efforts and help plan future sessions.

 

During the sessions we will be focusing on consumer outreach, education, and implementation and will not be addressing technical questions specific to NSA provisions or policy, or from a provider’s perspective.  We really want your feedback and innovative ideas to help educate consumers and we encourage you to participate. 

 

To learn more about the No Surprises Act, visit: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises. 

 

When: 3:00 PM ET on April 7, May 5, and June 2.  

If you have already registered for this series, you must re-register to sign up for the June 2nd session.

 

Who should attend: This series is designed for organizations who advocate for and/or assist healthcare consumers.

 

RSVP: click here

 

Registering for the listening sessions will register you for all sessions. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

 

This meeting is closed to press. 

 

The Pennsylvania EMS Conference Announced

Posted on by kow5101

We’re back!! The PA EMS Conference is excited to announce the dates for this year’s event will be September 6-9, 2022!

For the past 45 years, PEHSC, in conjunction with the PA Department of Health, has maintained a mission of presenting high-quality, valuable EMS continuing education.  Last year, our “virtual” conference was able to reach thousands of EMS providers across Pennsylvania and beyond.

Based on overwhelmingly positive feedback, we’ve decided to once again keep the event “virtual”. Yes, we miss seeing everyone in-person too, but given the current state of the EMS industry, we feel that this format is far and away the best way to keep affordable, high-quality, education accessible to as many of Pennsylvania’s EMS providers as possible.

Stay tuned, we’ll have more info coming out soon!!

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to us at conference@pehsc.org.

Click HERE to submit your session for consideration!

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Highlights Practices for Behavioral Health Supports

Posted on by kow5101

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) released the latest issue of the Positive Approaches Journal, which aims to provide the most recent research and resources for people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to live everyday life. This edition focuses on effective behavioral supports and how they affect the populations DHS serves. “Part of DHS’ mission is to ensure that people have the resources and information they need to live an everyday life,” said Acting DHS Secretary Meg Snead. “We hope that this edition of the Positive Approaches Journal will provide some insight into best practices and methods so we can all work together to ensure that the people we serve can all be better off.” Read more.

The Health Advisory on Powassan Surveillance Confirms Rates

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The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has confirmed higher than expected rates of Powassan (POW) virus in ticks located in multiple Pennsylvania counties during the 2021 surveillance season, including Clearfield, Centre, Wyoming, Bradford, and Schuylkill counties. Although no human POW virus cases were reported in Pennsylvania in 2021, ten cases of POW virus have been reported since surveillance started in 2011. This health advisory provides healthcare providers with background information on POW virus disease including transmission, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and prevention along with how to contact the PA Department of Health or your local health department for assistance with POW virus disease and diagnostic testing as DEP closely monitors this situation. Read the health advisory.