USDA Rural Development is conducting a review of all areas under its jurisdiction to identify areas that no longer qualify as rural for housing programs.  The last rural area reviews were performed in 2017-2018 using 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) data.  Rural area designations are reviewed every five years. This review will utilize the 2020 United States decennial census data.

Based on the 2020 US census data and rural area guidance located in Handbook HB-1-3550, Chapter 5, the rural eligibility designation is under review for the following areas in Pennsylvania:

Currently eligible communities under review (population):

1. Northampton and Lehigh Counties – (Bethlehem Line Adjustment)

Currently eligible communities under review (Rural in Character):

1. Columbia County – Bloomsburg (“Rural in Character” under review.)
2. Columbia County – Berwick (“Rural in Character” under review.)
3. Lancaster County – Ephrata (“Rural in Character” under review.)
4. Lancaster County – Elizabethtown (“Rural in Character” under review.)
5. Franklin County – Chambersburg (“Rural in Character” under review.)
6. Franklin County – Waynesboro (“Rural in Character” under review.)

Ineligible communities under review (expansion of ineligible areas):

1. Lancaster County – Columbia (Line Adjustment)
2. York County – Weigelstown (Line Adjustment)
3. Allegheny County – Franklin Park (Line Adjustment)
4. Allegheny County – Monroeville (Line Adjustment)

Ineligible communities under review (reconsideration of eligibility):

1. Lycoming County – Williamsport (Minor Boundary Adjustments)
2. Montgomery County – Pottstown (Minor Boundary Adjustments)

The public shall have 90 days from the date of this public notice to submit comments regarding the potential loss of eligibility for Rural Development housing programs.  Comments should be sent to pasfh@usda.gov.  For details, or questions about specific changes, please contact the Pennsylvania Rural Development Housing Program staff at (717) 237-2186.

Just off the historic U.S. Route 66 in eastern New Mexico, a 10-bed hospital has for decades provided emergency care for a steady flow of people injured in car crashes and ranching accidents.

It also has served as a close-to-home option for the occasional overnight patient, usually older residents with pneumonia or heart trouble. It’s the only hospital for the more than 4,500 people living on a swath of 3,000 square miles of high plains  of Albuquerque.

“We want to be the facility that saves lives,” said Christina Campos, administrator of Guadalupe County Hospital in Santa Rosa. Its leaders have no desire to grow or be a big, profitable business, she said.

But even with a tax levy to help support the medical outpost, the facility lost more than $1 million in the past six months, Campos said: “For years, we’ve been anticipating kind of our own demise, praying that a program would come along and make us sustainable.”

Guadalupe is one of the nation’s first to start the process of converting into a Rural Emergency Hospital. The designation was created as part of the first new federal payment program launched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for rural providers in 25 years. And though it is not expected to be a permanent solution to pressures facing rural America, policymakers and hospital operators alike hope it will slow the financial hemorrhage that continues to shutter those communities’ hospitals.

More than 140 rural hospitals have closed nationwide since 2010, and health policy watchers aren’t sure how many of the more than 1,700 rural facilities eligible for the new designation will apply. CMS officials said late last month that seven have already filed applications. Dr. Lee Fleisher, director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, said how long it will take to review the applications will vary. The agency declined to provide the names or locations of hospitals seeking the designation.

Read more.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health Office of Health Equity published an Implicit Bias Toolkit. The toolkit provides resources to reduce implicit bias and explicit bias in clinical healthcare settings. The toolkit includes tools to avoid bias and resources to address discrimination in healthcare.

Click here to access the toolkit.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director Bob Morgan announced that USDA is awarding six grants to agriculture producers in rural Pennsylvania.

“Ag producers are vital to the system that helps feed Pennsylvanians. Any time we can support them is a success for us as an agency,” Morgan said. “I am glad these grant funds are getting to operations for them to expand their markets and increase revenue.”

The grant awards total $894,290 for six projects in four Pennsylvania counties through the Value Added Producer Grants program.

The projects in Pennsylvania awarded funds today are listed below.

• North Mountain Pastures LLC in Perry County was awarded a grant of $250,000 to help with processing costs as the farm goes through a growth phase over the next three years. The goal is to increase sales by reaching new customers through a strategic marketing campaign built around on-line marketing of direct-shipped meats. This is anticipated to increase its customer base by approximately 800 and its revenue by approximately $719,711 over a three-year period.
• Roots to River Farm LLC in Bucks County was awarded a grant of $250,000 for processing and marketing an herbal fortified wine, made from its farm-grown fennel. This wine is aromatized with radicchio and herbs, along with a proprietary blend of spices and citrus. Funds will also be used for marketing the new product and securing a foothold in the increasingly competitive American aperitif market. This includes costs for advertising, web re-design and social media management. This project is anticipated to increase its customer base by roughly 6,000 and increase its revenue by approximately $215,000 over three years.
• Katydid Hill LLC in Schuylkill County was awarded a grant of $250,000 for processing, packaging and marketing activities related to producing herbal tea blends grown on the farm. The goal is to increase sales through the expansion of the company’s market and product line. This project will serve a socially disadvantaged independent producer and is anticipated to increase its customer base by roughly 35,000 and its revenue by approximately $439,000 over a three-year period.
• Manoff Market Cidery LCC in Bucks County was awarded a grant of $45,000 for processing and marketing activities to help launch a hard cider product into the Bucks County, Greater Philadelphia, and New Jersey areas. The goal of the project is to increase retail sales by promoting its products through print, visual and social media advertisements. This project is anticipated to increase its customer base by roughly 4,000 and its revenue by approximately $231,000 over a 15-month period.
• Tinicum Farm Collective LLC in Bucks County was awarded a grant of $49,420 for processing, packaging and marketing activities to expand production of the popular and distinct Heirloom Pumpkin Pie to a wider wholesale market in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The goal is to increase sales to customers by providing a retail-ready product that will become the cornerstone of the farm and bakehouse. This project will serve a socially disadvantaged independent producer and is anticipated to increase its customer base by seven retail outlets and its revenue by approximately $45,000 over a one-year period.
• Crooked Row Farm in Lehigh County was awarded a grant of $49,870 to process, market and sell hot pepper sauces, dried pepper powders, marinades, salad dressings, culinary oils, teas, and soaps made from its farm grown herbs and specialty peppers. Funds will also be used to enhance its online marketing capability. This project is anticipated to increase the farm’s customer base by 1,500 and its revenue by approximately $193,000 over a 12-month period.

Gov. Shapiro has mobilized a whole-of-government response and is committed to providing the resources and care Pennsylvanians impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment need.

The Shapiro Administration announced today that the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is opening a Health Resource Center in Darlington Township, Beaver County for residents of Beaver and Lawrence counties who have health concerns following the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH on February 3, 2023. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will also be on hand at the Center to help interested residents sign up for free, independent water testing and to provide guidance on food and animal safety, respectively.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is working with local leaders and healthcare providers to open the center starting Tuesday, February 28 at the Darlington Township Building, 3590 Darlington Rd., Darlington, PA 16115. The Center will be open weekdays from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and is scheduled to operate through March 10.

“Today, my Administration is taking another step to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of every Pennsylvanian affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment,” said Governor Shapiro. “Starting Tuesday, Pennsylvanians who are concerned about the impacts of the derailment on their health will have an additional resource to turn to, where they can talk to public health experts right in their own community from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Human Services, to receive treatment should they need it. From the beginning of our response to Norfolk Southern’s derailment, my Administration has worked hand-in-hand with first responders and emergency management personnel, our partners in Ohio, and the federal government to ensure our citizens in Western Pennsylvania have the resources and information they need to be safe and healthy.”

The Shapiro Administration has been working closely with leaders from both parties to help protect Pennsylvania communities affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment — and the input and support from Sen. Elder Vogel, Sen. Camera Bartolotta, and Rep. Jim Marshall has been critical in opening this Health Resource Center.

DOH is inviting healthcare providers in the region to join an educational webinar to provide information on what they should be looking for in patients who visit their offices, and how to address any health concerns from residents affected by the derailment aftermath. Healthcare providers, including family/primary care physicians and nurses, emergency department staff, and urgent care providers who are seeing patients with health concerns related to the derailment – and who are interested in joining the webinar – can register online here.

On Sunday, February 26, DOH began partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct door-to-door visits, starting with residents who were evacuated within the one-mile radius of the train derailment. They are conducting Assessment of Chemical Exposure (ACE) surveys that include discussing symptoms, experiences, and concerns about the impact of the train derailment. If residents aren’t available, information will be provided, and clinicians will schedule a follow-up visit. The ACE surveyors are expected to reach other residents in the coming days and weeks, including residents who visit the Health Resource Center.

Health, environmental, and safety officials from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and multiple federal agencies are working together to continually monitor air and water quality in the region. Monitoring has been in place since the incident began. Pennsylvania continues to see no concerning air or water quality readings following this incident.

The Shapiro Administration announced DEP will conduct its own independent water sampling to closely monitor water contamination risks.

Visit the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) online train derailment dashboard for details about the derailment response.