by Paul Ricci Before I profiled the 100 least healthy and the 100 most healthy zip codes in Pennsylvania. However, there is more to the Alleghenies than just Pennsylvania. It covers the southwestern tier counties of New York state, the western counties of Maryland, almost the whole state of West Virginia and the bordering western […]

by Paul Ricci Annually the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) comes out with an Unmet Need Score (UNS) for every zip code in the U.S. The UNS is a composite of 33 health variables at the zip code level. This post will focus on the 100 zip codes with the highest UNSs in Pennsylvania. […]

On July 24 & 25, I went to two events: one in Pittsburgh and one in Bellwood, PA. The former was a One Payer States panel on strategies to push for Medicare for All at the state level. The other group was a vigil in honor of the two men killed by ICE in Maine […]

On Saturday, July 18, I went to the second annual Justice Jam at the Oakhurst Homes in Johnstown. The event was run by Put People First PA. They cooked hamburgers and hot dogs. There was also music and speakers who spoke on their struggles with poverty and healthcare. The video above shows the speakers and […]

On June 23 I went to a Pharmacy Town Hall Meeting held by Martella’s Pharmacy in Boswell, Pa. There was a panel discussing how the Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) corporations like Express Scripts refuse to include local pharmacies like Martella’s Pharmacy in their networks. This is a major loss of revenue for these pharmacies. There […]

The last day of the Netroots Nation Conference in Philadelphia was a whirlwind of activity. In the morning I filmed this panel with state legislators from Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania on pursuing Medicare for All healthcare systems in their states. Later, I interviewed U.S. reps Summer Lee (D-PA) and Jaime Raskin on their views […]

On day 2 of the 49th Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Marshall University I took video of 2 individual sessions. There were many that day. The first session I filmed is on Race and Health in the Appalachians. The second session I filmed is on emergency response to climate change disasters such as Hurricane Helene. […]

I am a longtime reader of The Nation Magazine. Recently, I came across an article by Eric Reinhart in the magazine titled Destroy the Metrics, Destroy the Truth. It details how the Trump Administration’s firings of scientists and statisticians at the CDC and other agencies are really cover for their misdeeds. In the article, Reinhart […]

Imagine your fridge is empty, your mailbox is quiet, your children are waiting — and the federal safety net you depend on is just… paused. That’s the reality for many families right now. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Propel’s 2023 report, about 26% of SNAP participants identify as Black/African American, 16% as […]

Lyrical Capo attended a recent Put People First healthcare rights meeting to discuss medicaid and food stamp cuts. In the heart of Oakhurst, a beacon of hope shines bright. Put People First! PA (PPF-PA), a member-led organization driven by everyday working-class people, is on a mission to fight for healthcare rights, community welfare, and human […]