Quick Stats: 2020 Census Pennsylvania Data Changes

Posted on by lad3

The Penn State Data Center provided these county and demographic data based on the 2020 Census data that were just release.

Pennsylvania grew by 2.4% over the last decade 

Between 2010 and 2020, Pennsylvania’s population grew from 12,702,379 to 13,002,700, an increase of 300,321 or 2.4%. Over this same period, 44 Pennsylvania counties lost population and 23 grew.

Philadelphia County is still the largest county in the state 

Philadelphia county is the most populous county in Pennsylvania, with a 2020 Census population of 1,603,797, an increase of 5.1% since 2010. The second largest county remains Allegheny County with 1,250,578 people, an increase of 2.2% since 2010. The five largest counties in Pennsylvania remained the same in 2020 as they were in 2010:

  • Philadelphia: 1,603,797
  • Allegheny: 1,250,578
  • Montgomery: 856,553
  • Bucks: 646,538
  • Delaware: 576,830

Four of the top five counties grew faster than the state. Only Allegheny grew at a slower rate than the state overall. Philadelphia dropped from the fifth to the sixth largest city in the country in 2020, with Phoenix Arizona moving up to fifth.

Cameron County remains the least populous county in Pennsylvania

The five smallest Pennsylvania counties in 2020 are the same as in 2010:

  • Cameron: 4,547
  • Sullivan: 5,840
  • Forest: 6,973
  • Fulton: 14,556
  • Potter: 16,396

All of these counties had population losses over the decade. Cameron saw the largest percent decline (10.6%) , while Potter had the largest numeric decline among the group (1,061).

Fasting-growing counties in Pennsylvania: 

After a decade of population estimates suggesting that Lancaster County was among the top five fastest-growing counties, Montgomery and Dauphin counties grew at a faster rate according to today’s results. Only Cumberland County grew at a rate above 10%. The five fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania from 2010-2020 were:

  • Cumberland: 10.2%
  • Lebanon: 7.3%
  • Lehigh: 7.2%
  • Chester: 7.1%
  • Montgomery: 7.1%

Largest population losses in Pennsylvania counties 

44 counties in Pennsylvania lost population over the decade. The counties with the largest numeric declines were:

  • Westmoreland: -10,506
  • Cambria: -10,207
  • Erie: -9,690
  • Fayette: -7,802
  • Mercer: -5,986

The racial/ethnic composition of Pennsylvania in 2020 (from largest to smallest)

  • White: 75.0%
  • Black: 10.9%
  • Hispanic: 8.1%
  • Multiracial: 6.0%
  • Asian: 3.9%
  • Some other race: 3.9%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2%

People With Medicare Who Are Immunocompromised Would be Able to Receive an Additional COVID-19 Dose At No Cost

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In response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent action that authorizes an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised individuals, CMS is assuring people with Medicare who qualify for an additional dose that they can receive it with no cost sharing. This is part of President Biden’s commitment that patients have access to the necessary vaccinations to protect themselves from COVID-19.

Medicare would pay for administering an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccines consistent with the modified FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) that was announced today. For COVID-19 vaccines administered on or after March 15, 2021, the national average payment rate for physicians, hospitals, pharmacies and many other immunizers is $40 to administer each dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Medicare program would continue to pay providers $40 to administer this additional dose – the same amount as paid for other doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

CMS will share more information and guidance in the coming days about billing and coding for the additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised patients.

For additional information:

Request Free Oral Health Materials from PCOH

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The PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is launching our new online resource page for stakeholders. Oral health materials are available as pdf downloads and printed copies at no cost. Materials include oral health flyers, posters, and magnets covering the topics of general oral health, kids’ oral health, tobacco and nicotine, workforce, and fluoride.

Click here to visit the page.

World Health Organization Releases Global Strategy on Oral Health

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The World Health Organization (WHO) released their “Global Strategy on Oral Health.” The Chief Dental Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service is requesting comments on the document/strategy by September 10, 2021 via email. A compilation of comments will then be send to the WHO through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Global Affairs.

Click here to read the document.
Click here to submit comments.

Federal Funding: $300 Million Available for Coal-Impacted Communities

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The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced its plan to invest $3 billion in communities through the American Rescue Plan. Through EDA’s “Coal Communities Commitment,” $300 million of that funding will go directly to areas recovering from both COVID-19 and transitioning from coal-based economies.

This exciting funding opportunity is in partnership with President Biden’s Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities, of which ARC’s Federal Co-Chair is a member. The IWG has started facilitating listening sessions in coal communities across the country, some of which are in Appalachia. During today’s virtual workshop, which focused on revitalizing Western Pennsylvania’s energy communities, Co-Chair Manchin noted, “each of Pennsylvania’s 52 Appalachian counties possess opportunities, as well as challenges. We have worked very closely with Governor Wolf and his team, and Sheri Collins to support projects for coal-impacted communities in Pennsylvania.”

If you’re interested in applying but unsure how to get started, EDA and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are hosting a free virtual workshop on August 18 focusing on revitalizing West Virginia’s energy communities. Register here. Check out their new website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, for updates.

Visit EMS.gov for Information About COVID-19 for EMS Systems and Clinicians!

Posted on by lad3

Resources include guidance documents, links to the latest from the CDC, and information about vaccine safety and administration

With cases of COVID-19 surging again across the country, EMS clinicians and leaders may once again be responding to increased numbers of PUIs, have questions about handling exposures, and be looking for information about coronavirus vaccines.

The EMS.gov COVID-19 Resources for EMS page continues to provide a number of helpful tools, on topics ranging from crisis standards of care to first responder mental health. The source of each resource is clearly identified, including documents created by the Federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group EMS/Prehospital Team.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of EMS once again would like to thank EMS clinicians and our public safety and healthcare colleagues across the country for your dedicated service. What you do is vital to our communities and our nation. We urge you to take steps to ensure the health and safety of you, your patients and your families and protect yourself from COVID-19, stress, and other dangers.

Please contact nhtsa.ems@dot.gov with questions or comments.

Learn more.

Small Rural Hospital Blueprint for Performance Excellence and Value Published

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With the assistance of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and Stratis Health, the National Rural Health Resource Center’s Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC) is excited to share their new Small Rural Hospital Blueprint for Performance Excellence and Value.

For nearly a decade, the U.S. health care industry has been undergoing profound change in payment and service delivery; and growing increasingly complex. The past year has layered several additional opportunities and challenges including the need for pandemic and emergency preparedness, massive growth in the acceptance and use of telehealth, spotlighting of social needs as a core component of health, and the systemic and persistent disparities facing people of color. Small rural hospitals face the challenge of being successful in fee-for-service payment systems while preparing for and entering into value-based payment arrangements, at a time of financial stress and uncertainty.

The Blueprint is intended to be a tool to assist rural hospital leaders in implementing a comprehensive systems approach to achieving organizational excellence. It contains an outline of the key inter-linked components of the Baldrige Framework, along with critical success factors relevant to small rural hospitals. Challenges and strategies are also addressed.

Census Bureau Announces Changes for 2020 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

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Census Bureau plans to release experimental estimates developed from 2020 ACS 1-year data.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced that it will not release its standard 1-year estimates from the 2020 American Community Survey (ACS) because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection. The Census Bureau will release experimental estimates developed from 2020 ACS 1-year data.

The standard 2020 ACS 1-year estimates do not meet the Census Bureau’s Statistical Data Quality Standards designed to ensure the utility, objectivity and integrity of the statistical information. Unlike the ACS, the 2020 Census was able to postpone their Nonresponse Followup to a time when they could carry out the full operation, limiting the impact of the pandemic on data quality in ways the ACS could not.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges to collecting ACS data in 2020, as described in our recent Adapting the American Community Survey Amid COVID-19 blog. As a result, the ACS collected only two-thirds of the responses it usually collects in a survey year and the people who did respond to the survey had significantly different social, economic and housing characteristics from those who did not. This is called “nonresponse bias.”

Specifically, Census Bureau staff found high nonresponse from people with lower income, lower educational attainment, and who were less likely to own their home. Nonresponse bias is a natural part of sample surveys, and often statisticians can adjust for nonresponse bias by giving more weight to responses from underrepresented groups. However, Census Bureau staff found that standard nonresponse adjustments to the ACS 1-year estimates could not fully address the differences in a way that meets Census Bureau quality standards.

Read more.

Biden-Harris Administration Provides $121 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Local Community-Based Efforts to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations in Underserved Communities

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As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden-Harris Administration is providing $121 million to support the work of trusted community-based efforts to increase vaccinations in underserved communities. These awards will go to community-based organizations across the country that are working in their communities to build vaccine confidence, share factual information about vaccines, and answer people’s questions about getting vaccinated. This investment is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to support and empower local trusted voices within communities to help encourage vaccination, protect more people, and save lives. This funding was made available by the American Rescue Plan and is being distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

These awards, in addition to $125 million awarded last month, establish, expand and sustain community-based efforts to mobilize community outreach workers, community health workers, patient navigators, social support specialists and others to increase vaccinations.

“We understand the important role trusted messengers in local communities play to help people make informed health care decisions, including whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today’s investments are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to strengthen equity and support organizations that focus on underserved communities as they work to increase vaccinations and keep people safe and healthy.”

Award recipients will engage with regional and local partners, including faith-based organizations, regional and local health departments, health centers and other community-based health providers, and minority-serving institutions, to reach underserved and high-risk communities to help bolster COVID-19 vaccination rates. For example, this funding will be used to support partnerships between academic and community-based organizations like churches and local fire departments to improve COVID-19 health literacy and vaccination rates in rural counties. Likewise, funding will support African American, Latino, and Tribal partnerships that engage clergy, churchgoers, adolescents, and others with trusted information about vaccines and work within their communities to get more people vaccinated.

“This community-based COVID-19 vaccine outreach program will make it possible to reach people in vulnerable and medically underserved communities and help reduce disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates,” said Acting HRSA Administrator Diana Espinosa.

For a list of awards recipients, see https://www.hrsa.gov/coronavirus/local-community-based-workforce.

Contact CBOVaccineOutreach@hrsa.gov with any questions.

Learn more about how HRSA is addressing COVID-19 and health equity.

New Guide Helps with CHW Recruiting and Training

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A collaboration of three organizations has published the new resource “Community Health Worker/Peer Workforce: Recruiting and Hiring for SDOH Screening.” MHP Salud, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council – all of which are funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – drew upon lessons learned from health centers that have successfully hired, trained, integrated, and retained Community Health Workers (CHWs) and peers with lived experience. The guide provides best practices developed through interviews and research, focused on the CHW and peer role in social determinants of health (SDOH) screening and addressing related disparities, like the impacts of COVID-19.

Download the guide.