Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH)
Services
Rural Health News
Resources and Links
Rural Hospital Programs
Pennsylvania Rural Health Magazine
Publications
Strategic Plans and Annual Reports
Service Area
Statewide
Address
118 Keller Building
University Park, PA, 16802
Contact
814-863-8214
porh@psu.edu
http://www.porh.psu.edu
Mission
The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH) works with local state and federal partners to achieve equity in, and access to, quality health care for Pennsylvania's rural residents.
We strive to be the premier rural health leadership organization in the state and one of the most effective State Offices of Rural Health in the nation.
The mission of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health is to improve the health of rural communities and their residents throughout the Commonwealth by
Compiling, analyzing, and disseminating information to policymakers, health providers, health educators, and health administrators
Strengthening the existing network of rural providers, planners, and advocates by encouraging partnerships and identifying opportunities for collaboration and cooperation,
Increasing interest in rural health needs, opportunities, and policy issues,
Acting as a liaison between academia, state government, professional associations, and the general public
History
Definitions of Rural: Where Is It Anyway?
There are almost as many definitions of "rural" as there are persons who use the definition.
Most often rural is identified by default when defining that which is urban.
To help clarify the most commonly used definitions of "urban" and "rural," the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health has compiled this resource list.
.What follows are the definitions developed by the organizations that provide the authoritative definitions of rural and urban:
the U.S. Census Bureau, the Office of Management and Budget, the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center, and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
Maps showing how the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is defined using the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census data are provided to allow for comparison