Vicki Williams, Accounting Assistant Carol Fahnestock Assistant Board Secretary/Exec. Assistant Stacey Cali, Clinic Administrative Assistant Rosanne Garzarella, GME Supervisor Kerri Price, Communications Specialist Katherine Retana, Data Entry Clerk Ashley Turner, Medical Assistant William Newton Senior Network Administrator Victoria DeBarbieri Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner Kizzy Henry Clinic Administrative Assistant Mary Kay O’Malley-Kalinoski Licensed Practical Nurse Roberta McAlister Licensed Practical Nurse Amber Orr, Mental Health Therapist
Success at Scranton Counseling Center • Integrating Primary Care into Behavioral Health Settings • In September 2015, The Wright Center opened a clinic on the lower level of Scranton Counseling Center to serve the seriously mentally ill population of Lackawanna County. Staff have seen 168 new patients, a testament to the real disparity of care and lack of access that exists within this population. “You are taking care of humans, not machines,” stated Dr. Mladen Jecmenica, Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine. Dr. Jecmenica states that there is no “ordinary day” as a primary care provider at Scranton Counseling Center but rather that the only constant in his day is the unexpected. His daily activities range from greeting his regular patients to meeting new ones, all the while, training second and third year residents. Dr. Jecmenica believes that encountering different populations through his work at Scranton Counseling Center has helped him to grow as a provider and teacher. “The partnership that The Wright Center has with Scranton Counseling Center provides me and the residents with unique opportunities in a challenging environment. At Scranton Counseling, we get to experience a facility that is different than a hospital and work with an incredibly grateful population.”
— Dr. Mladen Jecmenica
New Employees:
Allyson Favuzza Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner Ashley Jones Clinic Administrative Assistant Kaitlyn Garvey, Medical Assistant Sylvia Gioupis, Custodian Shannon Castillo, Document Specialist Kay Brier, Data Entry Clerk
Promotions: Laura Jeffrey attained her Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certification and was promoted to Human Resources Manager. Melissa Doherty was promoted to Accounting Manager and Stephen Bennett has been promoted to Grants Accountant. 6
Dr. Mladen Jecmenica oversees Dr. Olivia Molnar, second year Internal Medicine resident, examining a young patient.
“Sometimes it is hard to have a consistent base of patients,” he says, “because they aren’t required to come here. But many of our patients come back because of the convenience of having their medical and psychological services all in one place. They are seeing their psychologist right upstairs, so why not come downstairs and receive care from a primary care physician?” Dr. Jecmenica further explained, “When you get to hear the patients’ stories, you are creating an open and trusting relationship with the patient – that’s what it’s all about.”