Penn State Outreach is pleased to name the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH) as the inaugural recipient of the Commonwealth Commitment Serving Pennsylvania Award, honoring more than three decades dedicated to ensuring equitable access to high quality, affordable care and increasing the health status of rural commonwealth residents.
Collaboration Critical to PORH’s Success
Formed in 1991 as a partnership between the federal government, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Penn State, PORH serves as a unifying collaborator that supports a network of health care providers, educators, researchers, policymakers, state agencies, community and economic development organizations, agricultural safety and health specialists, and rural and public health advocates. By aligning these partners, PORH amplifies impact, drives innovation, and ensures rural voices shape health policy and practice across the commonwealth.
As a recent example of this commonwealth-wide collaborative effort, in April 2026, PORH co-hosted the annual Community and Public Health Conference with partners including the Pennsylvania Public Health Association, the Pennsylvania Rural Health Association, the Penn State College of Medicine Public Health Program, the Pennsylvania chapter of the Society for Public Health Education, and the Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center. The event brought together educators and practitioners from across the state to discuss reimagining health care in Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on providing care for residents of rural areas.
Setting a Standard of Excellence
For decades, PORH staff have served as trusted and influential voices for rural communities, advancing policies, programs, and partnerships that strengthen health systems and improve lives across the commonwealth. PORH is widely recognized as one of the nation’s exemplary state offices of rural health, earning the respect of federal, state, and community partners for sustained leadership, innovation, and measurable impact.
In July of 2026, the Pennsylvania Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which is administered by PORH, received a Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) Certificate of Excellence Award in recognition of outstanding critical access hospital (CAH) state quality reporting and performance. Under PORH’s guidance, the program was ranked in the top five nationally in 2026 and ranked #1 in 2024 and 2025. Pennsylvania is one of only two states to have been ranked as #1 for two years in a row and one of very few programs to be in the top five for three consecutive years.
“The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, through the work of its truly dedicated staff, has exemplified the Commonwealth Commitments through service to Pennsylvania’s rural communities, sustained public scholarship, and strengthening of Penn State’s role as a land grant institution,” said Lisa Davis, outreach associate professor of health policy and administration and PORH director. “For more than three decades, this office has translated academic expertise, data, and community knowledge into action that measurably improves health systems and outcomes for the commonwealth’s 3.4 million rural residents,” she added.
Marshaling Resources and Amplifying Impact
PORH’s work encompasses technical assistance, health workforce recruitment/retention, data analysis, and resource sharing, all tailored to strengthen rural health care delivery systems. By compiling and translating data into actionable insights, PORH informs policymakers and stakeholders, ensuring that rural perspectives are reflected in health policy and planning that results in measurable impact.
“The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health has demonstrated clear impact through its leadership in strengthening rural health systems and workforce capacity across Pennsylvania,” said Helen Hawkey, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health. “Our partnership with PORH has helped elevate oral health as a critical component of overall health in rural Pennsylvania communities—ensuring it is included in broader health planning, discussions, and initiatives,” she added.
PORH’s partnership with the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) includes co-hosting rural workforce development presentations that explore pathways from high school and technical education programs to dental assistant training. These presentations help to address the long-term shortage of trained professionals ready to fill these roles in rural Pennsylvania communities.
Living Our Commonwealth Commitments
“The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health is truly deserving of our Commonwealth Commitment Serving Pennsylvania Award,” said Larry Terry, vice president for Outreach.
“Their research, policy analysis, education, and service translate into real world solutions that directly benefit Pennsylvanians, particularly those in rural and underserved areas. Through their decades of dedication, the hard-working staff of this office have embodied and amplified Penn State’s role as a trusted land-grant institution. On behalf of Outreach and the entire Penn State community, I extend my sincere thanks and warm congratulations to the entire team!”