The Pennsylvania Rural Recruitment Summit — held on April 20, 2022, at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center in State College — brought together health-care, workforce, and economic leaders to listen and learn. Together, we will find a path forward to ensure access to high-quality and high-value health care for rural Pennsylvanians.

Recruiting and retaining health-care professionals in rural areas of Pennsylvania is challenging. Whether it's a large health system, a rural health clinic, or a community health center, organizations struggle to attract and retain the staff they need to provide high-quality care. Cross-sector and regional learning and collaboration opportunities are vital to developing and implementing sustainable solutions.

The agenda included:

Welcome Remarks

  • Mark Higgins, Commissioner and Vice Chair, Centre County Board of Commissions
  • Congressman Glenn Thompson (PA-15), U.S. House of Representatives

Economic Indicators for Pennsylvania’s Health-Care Industry

  • Kali Aloisi, Economic Outreach Associate, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

The State of Pennsylvania’s Rural Health-Care Workforce

  • Janet Townsend, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Response Panel

  • George Garrow, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Primary Health Network
  • Amanda Vaglia, D.O., Director, Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, Indiana Regional Medical Center
  • Micah Gursky, Administrator, St. Luke's Miners Rural Health Clinics
  • Moderator: Lisa Davis, M.H.A., Director, Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, and Outreach Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration, Penn State

Keynote Presentation

  • David Schmitz, M.D., Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota

Small Group Activity

  • Facilitator: Mark Barclay, Director of Member Services, National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network (3RNET)

Student Panel

  • Pratiti Roy, Second-Year Student, Penn State College of Medicine, University Park Campus
  • Daniel Plavin, M.D., St. Luke’s Rural Family Medicine Residency, Tamaqua, PA
  • Cynthia Ciccotelli Farrell, M.D., M.P.H., UPMC Susquehanna Family Medicine Residency
  • Matt Woolcock, Fourth-Year Student, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
  • Moderator: Mark Stephens, M.D., M.S., Interim Associate Dean for Medical Education, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University Park Campus

Action Planning and Next Steps

  • Moderator: Benjamin Fredrick, M.D., Director, Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center; Director, Global Health Center; Professor of Family and Community Medicine, and Public Health Sciences and Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine

The summit was hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians, the Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center, the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers, and the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Please note: the views expressed by the presenters do not necessarily represent the views of the hosting organizations, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, or the Federal Reserve System.