Poverty and health disparities are closely linked, with those living in poverty experiencing poorer health outcomes.
We have expanded our quality measurement initiatives to include population-level data from our local communities to help identify poverty-related healthcare issues, and their potential solutions.
A look at the problem: Poverty
Philadelphia is among the poorest big cities in the United States, with over 20 percent of Philadelphians living in poverty and more than 1/3 of our children living in households in poverty.
Medicaid provides insurance coverage for individuals and families living in poverty. Rates are high in Philadelphia, with 20 percent of the city covered by Medicaid. In some of Penn Medicine’s primary care practices, 40 percent of patients have Medicaid coverage.
Philadelphians below the Federal Poverty Level
The map and table below show the number of households that live up to 125 percent below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in the zip codes surrounding Penn Medicine’s Philadelphia hospitals. We will update this information to reflect the latest data as our research continues.
Use the drop down to choose a zip code to view the percentage of families in the communities surrounding Penn Medicine’s Philadelphia hospitals who had income below 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
|
Zip code |
% of households |
|
19151 |
19.53 |
|
United States |
11.84 |
|
Pennsylvania |
10.78 |
|
Philadelphia |
22.07 |
*Federal Poverty Level is less than $37,500 for family of four per year. Source: 2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
We are part of the solution: Poverty
At Penn Medicine we believe all our patients deserve equal access to high-quality care and a long healthy life.
We recognize that unless we address the underlying inequities, we won't be able to achieve this goal. Our passionate team of physicians, researchers, and staff is committed to addressing these inequities to help drive health and wellbeing for all.
We are using a data-driven approach to identify the greatest challenges facing our communities and coordinate actionable plans to address them.
Employment access to help Philadelphians move out of poverty
Stable employment is often a key to helping individuals and families reduce their risk of living in poverty.
Penn Medicine Pathways-Emerging Careers Program provides an opportunity for high school graduates to find employment within the health system and provides them with support and mentoring to facilitate their career growth.
The Howley ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), a partnership with La Salle University, introduces high school students to the profession of nursing and supports their nursing education.