Penn Forest, located in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, is a small community with a population of approximately 2,500 residents. The area is home to many small businesses and offers natural beauty that attracts visitors from near and far. The health of Penn Forest's residents is taken very seriously by local medical and healthcare facilities. The area has two hospitals, the Lehighton Hospital and St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Medical Center in Coaldale, as well as numerous clinics offering primary care services for the entire family. In addition to these facilities, there are also several skilled nursing homes located in Penn Forest that provide top-notch care to both long-term residents and short-term patients alike. All of these options ensure that the health needs of Penn Forest's citizens are met and that they receive the best medical care available.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 83 physicians per 100,000 population in Penn Forest. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Penn Forest area is 107.7 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
107.7 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Penn Forest area is 47 (100=best). The US average is 55.
47 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Penn Forest area is 62 (100=best). The US average is 87.
62 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Penn Forest commutes 40.8 minutes one-way, which is longer than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Penn Forest area is 81 (100=best). The US average is 58.
81 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.