Reimagining the possibilities of life for Pennsylvanians
— By Cristina Rouvalis When Alan Ward, 65, had a massive heart attack in May, he was rushed from his doctor’s office in rural Pennsylvania to UPMC Passavant Hospital outside Pittsburgh for emergency surgery. Blockages had closed 99 percent of an artery, but he has made a strong recovery, thanks in part to the follow-up care. Ward, a retired baker and photographer, checks in with his medical team every morning—without ever leaving his home in Valencia. Using a touch-screen tablet, he …
— The nearly ubi-quitous use of mobile phones has made landlines unnecessary for many Americans. But that’s not an option for residents of rural areas where cellphone service is spotty. AARP Pennsylvania is fighting to make sure that landline service remains available and affordable for the nearly 1.5 million Keystone Staters who reside in rural areas. The cost of providing and maintaining landlines in rural areas is high, and sparser populations mean the cost per customer exceeds that for urban dwellers. …