IN FREE FALL: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS IN AMERICA
C 25/47 PENNSYLVANIA ranks 25th in the nation for rural health out of 47 states with rural counties. Pennsylvania is one of three states receiving a grade of “C” PENNSYLVANIA RECEIVED A GRADE OF “C” BECAUSE: Pennsylvania ranked in the third quintile of states for its rates of mortality in rural counties. Pennsylvania ranked in the second quintile of states for measures of daily health and quality of life in rural counties. Pennsylvania ranked in the second quintile of states for health care access in rural counties.
88
RHQ
88 RHQ
PENNSYLVANIA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In releasing its fifth annual 50-State Report Card on Reproductive Health and Rights, the Population Institute lowered the U.S. grade from a “D+” to a “D”. The report card, the most comprehensive report card of its kind, tracks multiple indicators of reproductive health and rights, including access to family planning and abortion services.
Along with New Jersey and New York, the Keystone State is part of the Mid-Atlantic The Institute’s president Robert Walker said, “For the past five years, reproductive health and division of the Northeast U.S. Census region. Excluding New Jersey, a state with rights in the U.S. have been on a slippery slope.” Five years ago nine states received an “F”. In no rural counties, Mid-Atlantic states rank near the middle of the nation for rural this year’s report card 20 states—including Alabama—received a failing grade. Walker warned, health. (25) ranks lowerasthan neighboring state New York (18). however,Pennsylvania “The worst may be yet to come, Congress and the new Administration are expected to slash federal funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education. The slippery slope is becoming a free fall.”
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states services today more thansites. 50% of “plus”rural or a “minus” for factors Walker emphasized that “It’s ennsylvania has the third largest Health Centers providing at 252 women now live in a county not reflected in the core grade. not just abortion rights that are population of any state, if you’re without an abortion provider. under siege; it’s also access to counting heads. One out of every five URBAN-RURAL DIVIDE ALABAMA RECEIVED A family planning services, and Pennsylvanians lives in a rural area,“MINUS” but many BECAUSE THEIR Federal support for when women are denied access face limited access to care and uneven resultsLIFE’Most U.S. states report a markedhealth difference reproductive and rights ‘CHOOSE LICENSE to contraception everyone loses: in terms health outcomes. health outcomes could between rural and urban suffer a major reversal PLATES FUNDinANTI-CHOICE there areof more unintended in 2017. Congress and the new pregnancies, more abortions, and ORGANIZATIONS/CRISIS counties. Pennsylvania shows a 6.2 percent Preventable in ruralPREGNANCY areas Administration are expected to CENTERS higher health hospital care costs.stays ” increase in rural mortality as compared to topped 67 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees, curtail access19th to contraceptive urban counties. The state ranks for rural/ Only 21 states received a services by blocking all funding This year’s to report card1,000 also Medicare compared 57 per enrollees urban in mortality. “B-“ or higher. Just fivedifference states for Planned Parenthood, draws attention to “a growing statewide. (California, New Jersey, defunding Title X, a 48-year old national divide” on reproductive New Mexico, Oregon RURALand RESOURCES program that provides support health and rights, and Walker The state has launched a number Washington) of recent received an “A”. to family planning clinics warned that Alabama is “on initiatives to improve the health of Pennsylvania’s The following states Ruralreceived health resource organizations inhouseholds, Pennserving low-income the wrong side of that divide.” a failing 2016: include: rural residents, including a prescription druggrade in sylvania and eliminating the Affordable Alabama, which received an “F”, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, monitoring program, the expansion of telehealth Care Act’s no-cost birth control was one of 20 states receiving a Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, services and an increased use of community • Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health mandate. Walker noted that failing grade in the latest report Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, health workers. “In the past five years most of card. Five years ago Alabama www.porh.psu.edu Nebraska, North Dakota, the slippage on reproductive received a “D”. • Carolina, Pennsylvania Rural Health Association Oklahoma, South The Pennsylvania Rural Health Model is a new health has occurred at the state www.paruralhealth.org South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Centers Medicare & Medicaid Services level, but Resource this year could see MANY for FACTORS • Wisconsin. Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Center Utah, Virginia, and ACCOUNTED FOR (CMS) alternative payment model designed www.matrc.orgunprecedented setbacks at the national level, including cuts ALABAMA’S FAILING GRADE to improve health and health care inWalker rural warned that woman’s • “A Center for Rural Health Practice in funding for comprehensive INCLUDING POOR SCORES Pennsylvania. There will be seven performance reproductive health should not www.upb.pitt.edu/crhp sex education in the schools IN PREVENTION AND years for the program, which begandepend on Januon where she lives, but and a return to abstinence only AFFORDABILITY ary 12, 2017 and will conclude on December it does, as women many information about the data Forinmore programs which have been areas are experiencing reduced Using eleven criteria, the 31, 2023. sources used and methodology employed proven to be ineffective. ” access to reproductive health Institute’s report card ranked in RHQ’s 2017 Rural Health Report Card, care services including abortion.” each of the 50 states andFACILITIES the RURAL HEALTH CARE visit www.RuralHealthQuarterly.com. Walker stressed that this Walker noted that 19 states, District of Columbia on four year’s report card should be including Alabama, have refused broad indicators relating to The Rural Health Information Hub, an organi“an urgent call to action” for to expand Medicaid under the reproductive health and rights: zation funded by the Federal Office of Rural anyone who is concerned Affordable Care Act, leaving tens effectiveness, prevention, about reproductive health Health Policy, reports that there are 15 Critical of millions of women without affordability, and access. Based and rights. “As disappointing Access Hospitals in the state, as well as 72 improved access to contraception upon their composite scores (0as 2016 was, 2017 could be Rural Health Clinics and 44 Federally Qualified and other health care services. 100), each state received a “core” a whole lot worse.” Walker also noted that in 27 grade (A, B, C, D or F), but some states received an additional