Pennsylvania is home to some of the world’s leading clinical training and research institutions. However, nearly one-in-four of its residents live in a federally designated Medically Underserved Area. The disparity in health care traces the state’s rural and small towns that have seen years of population decline, economic stagnation and limited broadband access.

This presentation will have two components. First, it will review the demographic and socio-economic landscape of rural Pennsylvania and the role it plays in the demand for health care. Second, it will highlight some of the major challenges of providing health care in rural Pennsylvania, such as provider shortages, affordability, and health outcomes.