TWC Annual Report 2023-2024

2023-24 ACADEMIC YEAR

OUR MISSION

To improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve

OUR VISION

For our Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium framework that integrates patient care delivery, workforce development, and innovation to be the leading model of primary health care in America

OUR VALUES

Do the Wright thing

Be privileged to serve

Be an exceptional team player

Strive for excellence

Be driven for great results

Spread positivity

WE HUMBLY

ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK

Our patients and families who place their confidence in our care teams; Our volunteer board members who unselfishly dedicate their time and talent; Our residents and fellows who entrust us with their education; Our employees and staff who deliver our mission and vision every day; and Our communities that shape our experience and innovations and allow us the privilege to serve. The list below includes everyone who served on one of our Wright Center governing boards from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. For a list of current board members, visit TheWrightCenter.org/board-members.

The Wright Center for Community Health

(88% of whom are patients)

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP President & CEO, Ex-Officio, Non-Voting

Gerard J. Geoffroy, M.S., MPA Chair

Deborah Kolsovsky Vice Chair

Catherine Genco, MBA Treasurer

Kenneth Okrepkie, MHR Interim Treasurer

Mary Marrara Secretary

Pedro L. Anes, M.S.

Mary Ann Chindemi, R.N.

Patricia Desouza

LeeAnn Eschbach, Ph.D.

Kim Heritscko

Tracy Hunt

Mary B. Klem, M.S., R.D., CSO, LDN

Richard Krebs

Lewis Marcus

Joseph J. Marinelli, RPh, MBA

Melissa Simrell, CFP, CRPC

Ellen Walko

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP President & CEO

Harold W. Baillie, Ph.D. Chair

James Gavin, MSW, MMS Vice Chair

Teri Ooms, MBA – The Institute Treasurer

Carol Rubel Secretary

Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP

SVP, Education and Designated Institutional Official Ex-Officio, Non-Voting

Peter Amato, Ph.D., DNM – Harmony Mountain Institute and Inner Harmony Wellness Centers

Crystal Berry, MHA – HealthPoint, Washington

Holly Binnig, M.D. – HealthSource of Ohio

Ronald Bukowski

Thomas Bisignani, MBA – Commonwealth Health System

Michael P. Curran, MHA – Commonwealth Health System

Ariane Conaboy, D.O., MHA, CMPC –Commonwealth Health System

Judy Featherstone, M.D. – HealthPoint, Washington

Sharon Obadia, D.O., FNAOME – A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Eleni O’Donovan, M.D. – Unity Health Care, Washington, D.C.

Michael Paglia, M.D., Ph.D. – Geisinger Health System

Kim Patton, MHA – HealthSource of Ohio

Scott E. Schermerhorn, Esquire

Douglas Spegman, M.D., MSPH, FACP El Rio Health, Arizona

Debra Youngfelt, MCHES, CTTS –Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center

The

Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP President & CEO, Co-Chair

Mary Marrara Co-Chair

LeeAnn Eschbach, Ph.D. Vice Chair

Catherine Genco, MBA Treasurer

Gerard J. Geoffroy, M.S., MPA Immediate Past Chair Interim Treasurer

Ellen Walko Secretary

Ayushi Jain, M.D. Chief Resident Liaison

Yash Deshpande, M.D. Resident Leader Liaison

Pedro L. Anes, M.S.

Gail Cicerini

Paul Haugland

Charlie Hemak

Lorraine Lupini

Kari Machelli, R.N.

Jacob Miller, M.D.

Girard Petula, Ed.D.

Sarah Quinlin-Sheridan

Carol Rubel

Tammy Saunders

Melissa Simrell, CFP, CRPC

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP

President and CEO

Ronald P. Daniels, MBA, CPA

Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

Jignesh Y. Sheth, M.D., FACP, MPH

SVP and Chief Medical and Information Officer

Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP

SVP of Education and Designated Institutional Official

Jennifer Walsh, Esquire

SVP of Corporate Integrity, Compliance, and Legal Services and Chief Governance Officer

Douglas Klamp, M.D.

SVP of Medical and Education Integration, Chief Medical Education Officer,

Physician Chair of Resident and Fellow Talent Acquisition, and Program Director of Internal Medicine Residency Program

Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D.

SVP of Enterprise Wellness and Resiliency, Assessment, and Advancement, and Chief Strategic Research & Development Officer

Brian Ebersole

VP of Academic Affairs and Associate Designated Institutional Official

Kellie Knesis, M.S., SHRM-SCP

VP of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer

Sandra Yastremski, CPA

VP of Finance and Chief Financial Officer

William Dempsey, M.D.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of The Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit

Erin McFadden, M.D.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director of The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, North Scranton, and Scranton Counseling Center, and Dean of Undergraduate Medical and Interprofessional Education

Manju Mary Thomas, M.D.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of Pediatrics and School- and Community-Based Medical Home Services

Colleen Dougherty, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC

VP and Chief Clinical Operating Officer and Director of Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Services

Sheila Ford, R.N., BSN

VP of Compliance and Chief Compliance Officer

Terrell H. McCasland, J.D., M.S.

VP of Value-Based Care Contracts and Chief Revenue Officer

John Janosky

VP of Information Technology and Innovation and Chief Information Technology Officer

Tiffany Jaskulski, BSBA

VP of Value-Based Population Health Informatic Innovations and Strategic Initiatives

Laura Spadaro, MHA

VP of Primary Care and Public Health and Chief Primary Care and Public Health Policy Officer

Lisa Baumann, MHA

VP of Grants and Strategic Initiatives

Thomas Glaser, MPA

VP of Grant Operations and Compliance

The Wright Way to Impact Our Communities

The data highlight how our Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium is pioneering the delivery of inclusive and responsive wholeperson primary health services and fostering interprofessional health workforce development.

Advocating for What is Wright Investing in The Wright Workforce

Our journey toward Sanctuary certification addresses the effects of trauma and strengthens our commitment to supporting our workforce, patients, families, and the communities we serve.

Our education and awareness programs inspire individuals to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors.

22 20 42

Engaging The Wright People and Partners 17

From volunteer board members and dedicated community partners to our compassionate employees, discover how we work to improve the health and welfare of our communities.

Follow us on:

Celebrating fulfillment of our noble mission

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP President and CEO

Gandhi’s timeless wisdom beautifully captures the heartbeat of our shared, mission-driven journey at The Wright Center for Community Health, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, and The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. His guidance energizes all of our collective, mission-driven accomplishments spotlighted in this annual report.

Each page of our 2023-24 Annual Report reflects our shared sense of purpose and the love and resilient strength we draw from each other, while selflessly and reliably serving the patients, families, learners, and communities that depend on us. We have navigated and thrived through formidable challenges this academic year. Our collective fortitude has been fueled by the awesome engagement of our highintegrity governing boards, our faithful employees, our dedicated residents and fellows, our strong collaborative partnerships, and our shared devotion to fulfilling our noble mission to improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

Through countless partnerships, we force-multiplied our mission impact in expanding much-needed access to high-quality, nondiscriminatory, equitable, and affordable whole-person primary health services.

This year, we witnessed the powerful capacity and unity of our communities as we stood shoulder to shoulder to lift up those who needed us most. We expanded our chronic medical and care management services for patients with multiple chronic conditions, while also expanding and enriching our interprofessional care delivery teams to continue and expand our primary care integrated dental, mental, behavioral health and recovery, and Ryan White HIV services. We have invested impactfully to enrich our school-based health services and our obesity medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle medicine services for the long-view aim of promoting prevention and public health, reducing obesity-related comorbidities, and promoting longevity.

Through the work and generous volunteerism of our dedicated staff, residents and fellows, governing board members, and larger community stakeholders, we passionately addressed the socioeconomic determinants of health of our communities, further exhibiting our compassion and devotion to public service that drive our enterprise.

LETTER FROM THE CEO

Our commitment to promoting the holistic well-being of our provider care teams, support staff, patients, families, residents, fellows, and interprofessional learners took center stage this year as we continued to embrace and learn through our Sanctuary Model journey – an inspiring certification framework to guide us in fostering trauma-competent, safe, supportive work, care delivery, and learning environments, where inclusive stakeholders can thrive.

This academic year brought unprecedented challenges, but also new opportunities for reaffirmed commitment and reinvention across two of our cornerstone, mission-driven Graduate Medical Education training programs – National Family Medicine Residency (NFMR) and Regional Family Medicine Residency (RFMR) – after unfortunate and disheartening withdrawals of accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The silver linings of these traumatic occurrences are the powerful opportunities they have afforded us to appreciate and demonstrate our historical legacy, our faithful and unwavering commitment to accreditation processes and the highest standards of the ACGME, and our true resiliency and strength in how we collectively embrace and respond to such setbacks. By reflecting, learning, reimagining, and elevating our approach to high-quality, needs-responsive graduate medical education, with unwavering resolve and a shared commitment to do what is right for inclusive stakeholders and the larger communities we serve, we continue to apply the countless lessons learned through these experiences to strengthen our ACGME accredited Sponsoring Institution, multiple graduate medical education programs with continued accreditation, and the emerging program developments regionally and at our NFMR sites.

Every accomplishment and story of hope and healing that you read in the pages of our Annual Report exemplifies the profound truth of Gandhi’s guiding principle: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

By prioritizing the needs of others and the patients, families, learners, and communities we serve, we have enriched countless lives and demonstrated our collective strength and impact power, revealing the true essence of who we are at The Wright Center. In doing so, we have advanced the delivery of our virtuous mission with joyful accomplishments to be celebrated.

With heartfelt appreciation, gratitude, and love,

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP President and CEO

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education

Landing strongly: Next steps for our Teaching Health Center National Family Medicine Residency Program

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandates redesign of pioneering program

In 2012, a pioneering partnership began addressing one of the most troubling shortages in health care: training and retaining Family Medicine Physicians in underserved communities.

A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) developed a workforce pipeline to address the primary care physician workforce shortage across a national network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). Still, it lacked the infrastructure to provide the final educational component to prepare the next generation of doctors: graduate medical education (GME). More than 2,300 miles away, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education in Scranton, Pennsylvania, with its shared purpose and mission, welcomed the opportunity to offer the needed Family Medicine Residency Program with willing FQHC participants for doctors in training.

Through a partnership of the two educational enterprises, our National Family Medicine Residency (NFMR) Program was born, accredited by the

American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THC GME) Program in 2013. Our NFMR Program has produced 151 new Family Medicine Physicians since residents began graduating eight years ago – more than a quarter staying to serve in their FQHC host site and more than half of whom went on to practice in underserved communities.

Our NFMR Program was created to address our national primary care physician shortage and misdistribution, and related health, health care careers, and health disparities.

One of our program’s creators, Brian Ebersole, now our vice president of academic affairs and associate designated institutional official, said the innovative thinking that led to the program and its unique design, coupled with how rapidly we became one of the largest HRSA-funded Community Teaching Health Center Consortiums in our country, were met with some

skepticism among national health care and medical education stakeholders.

One such stakeholder was the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In June 2020, ACGME became the sole accrediting agency for residency and fellowship programs in the United States. In 2023, despite the NFMR Program’s incredible outcomes, ACGME withdrew the accreditation because of its unique design that spread over 50 residents in one program at four different FQHC learning environments across our country.

“The Wright Center challenged the norm of graduate medical education training by reviewing and operationalizing accreditation standards in an innovative and community needsresponsive way that even the ACGME didn’t expect,” Ebersole said. “It quickly became apparent that the program was working, producing the intended graduate outcomes by leveraging a network of learning and placing physicians in underserved communities across our country. Nevertheless, the program structure didn’t align with what the ACGME is currently willing to accredit.”

network that included HealthSource of Ohio, HealthPoint in Washington, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center in Oregon, Lutheran Family Health Center in New York, El Rio Community Health Center in Arizona, and Unity Health Center in Washington, D.C.

The program was initially accredited in 2013 by the AOA, whose leaders were intrigued and inspired by the innovative model, said Walsh.

HRSA’s THC GME Program, a new federal source of GME funding that strictly supports the training of Physicians in nine primary care “specialties” in community-based ambulatory care centers, includes Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry, General Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry, and Geriatrics.

“The goal of the NFMR Program and its structure was intentional from its conceptual establishment because of its access to high-quality academic resources and the efficiencies of operating the program,” added Jennifer Walsh, Esquire, our senior vice president of corporate integrity, compliance, and legal services and chief governance officer.

After a decade of challenges, our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) accepted the ACGME’s ruling. Our Sponsoring Institution and NFMR Program quickly shifted focus to support establishing four individual Family Medicine Residency Programs instead of one overarching program – one in each of our four FQHC partner sites. Excitingly, this transition will affirm four geographically specific Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums (THC GME-SNC) at each partnering FQHC. This replication scales our existing model to another level in meeting the health care and interprofessional health care workforce needs of each partnering FQHC and the communities they serve.

Putting the program in place

As the partners worked to develop the NFMR Program, they initially formed a nationwide learning

The federal government funds HRSA’s THC GME Program through an appropriations process, and Congress must periodically reauthorize it after a previous appropriation expires.

The NFMR Program’s innovative national curriculum immerses residents in highperforming, certified Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Community Health Centers, FQHCs, FQHC LookAlikes, and community-based hospitals, providing nondiscriminatory care to the nation’s most vulnerable populations.

To get the NFMR Program model up and running, we had to receive approval from HRSA and qualify for THC GME funding while forging agreements with training sites, writing curriculum, earning accreditation, and recruiting the first class of residents, Ebersole said.

From the beginning, our NFMR Program yielded successful results. In 2016, our first cohort of Family Medicine Program residents graduated from the threeyear program. Our program’s five-year rolling pass rate for the osteopathic board is 100%. Our program’s overall graduate retention rate (physicians working for the health center where they trained) averages 32%, and 54% of program graduates provide care in medically underserved areas.

A change at the federal accrediting level, though, made it difficult for the program to thrive.

As the NFMR Program continued, the uncertainty

Lawrence LeBeau, D.O.

Program Director of our National Family Medicine Residency Program

Trailblazing program evolves; enters a new era

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

of reliable, adequate, and timely Congressional reauthorization to fund HRSA’s THC GME Program put pressure on existing THC GME programs nationwide.

At the inception of HRSA’s THC GME Program, funding was $150,000 (2013-14) per resident – a key to the NFMR Program’s success. Without this support, our NFMR Program could not cover administrative costs, pay participating hospitals and clinics for hosting resident clinical rotations, or compensate the residents.

“After covering all costs of the program, we had a small amount of resources remaining,” Ebersole said. “That allowed us to continue to innovate and be responsive to the program’s needs and those of the partnering communities.”

That buffer evaporated in 2016 when Congress reauthorized funding for THC GME and reduced per-resident annual funding from $150,000 to $95,000. By 2018, Congress had thankfully restored the funding to $150,000, but the costs of educating a resident physician had soared.

beginning in 2015. Plans called for the ACGME to accredit all osteopathic graduate medical education programs by July 1, 2020.

“We had several AOA-accredited programs – Regional Family Medicine, National Family Medicine, and Internal Medicine – and they all had to transition through the single accreditation system to become accredited by ACGME,” Walsh said.

Over the next few years, our NFMR Program’s accreditation process was a roller coaster.

SVP, Corporate Integrity, Compliance, and Legal Services and Chief Governance Officer

A 2022 study commissioned by HRSA and conducted by George Washington University found that the national median of actual training costs to be $210,000 annually. Today, the THC GME reimbursement rate is $160,000.

Triggered by the funding crisis, two original NFMR Program sites in New York and Oregon exited the partnership, and other existing THC GME programs in our country closed or reduced recruitment, partially in response to these pressures. Amazingly, our current FQHC partners loyally navigated that crisis to keep the NFMR Program going to the present day. Four of the six NFMR Program original sites stayed actively engaged, including El Rio Health in Tucson, Arizona; HealthSource of Ohio in Hillsboro; HealthPoint in Auburn, Washington; and Unity Health Care in Washington, D.C.

Unicorns, horses

The two accrediting bodies that handle graduate medical education in the United States – ACGME and the AOA – agreed to pursue a single accreditation system for graduate medical education programs

“ACGME joyfully gave us continued accreditation in January 2021,” she said. “We had a big celebration, but then, just one year later, ACGME came back and said they had concerns about the program’s fundamental consortium model.”

ACGME officials expressed concerns about whether the educational experience at four geographically distant training sites can be uniform enough for one program.

Ebersole pointed out that one way to ensure uniformity was through the NFMR Program’s virtual didactic instruction, which started several years before COVID-19 and made virtual learning universal. Walsh added that our nearly perfect board pass rate and the high post-graduate retention rates at all sites prove the program works.

“ACGME wants to make sure the same educational experience is provided at all four sites within the historically accepted structure for residency training,” Walsh said. “We are a unicorn, and they wanted horses.”

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, our president and CEO, said one of ACGME’s concerns was that a single program director, Lawrence LeBeau, D.O., was remotely at the helm of four primary clinical learning environments at separate sites in separate states.

“ACGME said, ‘We will allow a consortium model at the Sponsoring Institution level, but not on the program level,’” Dr. Thomas-Hemak explained. “They focused on the need to have a program director who is locally present in the program.”

Ebersole said ACGME was predisposed to view the

Jennifer Walsh, Esquire

NFMR Program skeptically for myriad reasons, including the program’s original accreditation approval by AOA, new THC GME funding mechanisms, and overall skepticism for a model different than historically allowed.

“There was always skepticism because The Wright Center was creative, innovative, efficient, and different,” he said. “But we all hoped for a good outcome because every time ACGME asked for clarifications and details of our outcomes, The Wright Center delivered.”

What comes next

After GMEC decided not to appeal ACGME’s decision to withdraw accreditation, our leadership team intensified the focus on the future of current residents in the program and future residency training at each partner site.

“Our top priority is to take care of every single one of the residents in NFMR and to minimize any sense of Sponsoring Institution betrayal,” Walsh emphasized. “They shouldn’t have to struggle to find another program because ACGME forced the NFMR Program’s closure.”

ACGME eventually agreed to maintain the program’s accreditation through 2026 so that all current residents could graduate, which Ebersole and Walsh called a “big validating win.”

The second priority was to expeditiously submit new program applications to continue Family Medicine Residency Program training in each NFMR Program training location under new program structures with minimal disruption in residency training, patient care services, and educational partnerships.

Walsh pointed out that residents are not the only ones who benefit from the GME model. Resident Physicians provide much-needed patient health services at the Community Health Centers where they train. Additionally, local hospitals benefit from their engagement in patient care. Replacing residents will prove difficult, if not impossible, should the NFMR Program training sites be closed permanently and be

unable to accept new residents or open new programs.

“If the sites are not recruiting and bringing residents into that pipeline, there will be a significant, widening shortage. This not only affects FQHC host sites and partnering hospitals, but it is also detrimental to the health and welfare of patients, families, and communities,” Walsh said.

The current plan calls for us to continue serving as a sponsoring institution for Unity Health Care in Washington, D.C., and HealthSource in Ohio. We supported El Rio in Arizona and HealthPoint in Washington to become new ACGME-accredited sponsoring institutions with plans to launch their own Family Medicine Residency Programs once HRSA’s THC GME funding and ACGME accreditation are secured.

“The Wright Center remains committed to supporting our partner institutions as they evolve,” Dr. ThomasHemak said. “El Rio, for example, is well-prepared to establish its own independent Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Programs, reflecting its readiness to continue pioneering and leading. Meanwhile, our ongoing partnership with Ohio ensures they will maintain their affiliation with our Sponsoring Institution, even though their program will operate separately from our Northeast Pennsylvania initiative. Each FQHC NFMR partner is advancing on its own path, and we are proud to be an ongoing, supportive partner in their journey.”

There are financial implications, too. Another key priority for us is to collaborate with the partners to secure approval for new THC GME funding to support their own residency training and programs.

Provided that the issues related to accreditation applications, approvals, and funding are resolved, Dr. Thomas-Hemak is confident that the substance of our NFMR Program will evolve brightly in the future.

“With a decade of outstanding graduate outcomes behind us, the NFMR Program is well-positioned for continued successful transformation,” she said. “We are thrilled about and inspired by that.”

“The Wright Center challenged the norm of graduate medical education training by reviewing and operationalizing accreditation standards in an innovative and community needs-responsive way that even the ACGME didn’t expect.”

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– Brian Ebersole

The Wright Center focuses on behavioral and physical health integration

As we continue to train the physician and interprofessional health workforce of tomorrow, our leaders at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education will focus on the continued support of integration of physical and behavioral health services at Teaching Health Centers in Northeast Pennsylvania.

The decision to withdraw the accreditation of our Psychiatry Residency Program by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), effective June 30, 2024, marks a significant shift for our enterprise.

Established in 2017, our program’s graduates consistently achieved a 100% board pass rate since our first cohort in 2021.

“It’s disheartening that this muchneeded program was discontinued at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year,” said Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP, our senior vice president of education and designated institutional official.

The local shortage of psychiatrists lead to patients waiting months in our communities for appointments, according to our leadership. Additionally, many mental health providers in our region only accept private insurance, making it difficult for uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaidcovered individuals to access essential services.

“Providing whole-person care means meeting patients where they are,” said Patrick Kirby, our behavioral health manager, noting that the residents and fellows at our Teaching Health Centers learn firsthand how patients’ physical and behavioral health needs often overlap. “By offering integrated care, we’re decreasing wait times and making behavioral health services more accessible for everyone.”

Behavioral health rotations are open to our primary care residents, fellows, and other interprofessional learners. Under ACGME requirements, resident Physicians in our Family Medicine Residency Program are required to complete a behavioral health rotation, while resident Physicians in the Internal Medicine Residency Program must have experience with behavioral health.

The Wright Center explores health equity accreditation through the National Committee for Quality Assurance

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education are taking first steps toward earning official recognition for efforts involving a centering force at the very foundation of our mission: health equity.

“We know that poverty, education, race, and trauma exposure all matter in terms of health outcomes. They shouldn’t, but they do,” said Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D., our senior vice president of enterprise wellness and resiliency, assessment, and advancement, and chief strategic research & development officer. “The question we’re trying to answer is: As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-alike, how do we address this?”

For years, we have implemented innovative solutions to meet the needs of our communities, including initiatives like food pantries, clothing drives, and special mission-driven events. Our mobile medical and dental unit, known as Driving Better Health, was launched in 2020 to deliver critical services such as vaccinations and dental services where people live, work, play, and study. Additionally, our sliding-fee discount program ensures no patient is denied care due to an inability to pay.

To assess effectiveness of our efforts and identify ways to enhance health equity in our region, we have turned to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a nonprofit that uses measurement, transparency, and accountability to highlight top performers and drive improvement.

“By late 2022, we started to investigate NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation,” Ruddy said, noting that we worked with NCQA to earn Patient-Centered Medical Home certifications for our Clarks Summit, Mid Valley, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre health centers. Mid Valley’s certification carries an additional NCQA distinction in primary care behavioral health integration.

According to the NCQA’s website, Health Equity Accreditation from the national organization focuses on the foundation for health equity work, which includes: building an internal culture that supports the organization’s external health equity work; collecting data that helps the organization create and offer language services and provider networks that are mindful of an individual’s cultural and linguistic needs; and identifying opportunities to reduce health inequities and improve care.

Earning accreditation enables health care centers and medical clinics to monitor progress, reduce inequities, and demonstrate accountability to patients, payers, regulators, and business partners.

Earning NCQA accreditation is a vast undertaking with many requirements, and our staff members are learning more about the process,” Ruddy said. What is clear is that while we are dedicated to improving health equity, “the data needs to be tracked in a structured way,” she said. “The documentation and structuring of something that happens organically often takes a lot of time.”

One of our early focuses is getting a clear and accurate picture of our patient demographics and educating them on the importance of sharing information about their race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

“The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the disparities many face due to race,” said Shannon Osborne, one of our project managers. “Understanding our patient population can help us obtain grant funding to pursue and implement resources. We can go to our legislators and help them understand the needs of the communities they represent. It’s really the key to offering a patient and community a true medical home.”

To improve response rates further, our leaders are working to empower staff to ask our patients these critical questions – even the uncomfortable ones. Osborne stressed that everyone interacting with patients should take responsibility for gathering and updating this information.

“If you see that a patient hasn’t answered these questions, ask them,” Osborne said. “It’s not just the job of front desk staff or medical assistants; it’s everyone’s responsibility.”

Another focus is aligning our staff demographics with those of our patients. Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, emphasize this, as studies show that patients often experience better health outcomes when treated by providers who reflect their own background, our leaders said.

“If your doctor looks like you, you are more likely to have better health outcomes because they understand you, and you understand them,” Ruddy said.

As we work to improve concordance of our staff and patients, other measures have been adopted to help our clinical staff better communicate with patients. In July 2023, our clinics began using Propio Language Services, which translates over 350 languages. In January 2024, two of our bilingual Certified Medical Assistants completed their training as medical interpreters to enhance their skills and assist our Spanish-speaking patients.

“We offer these services to ensure our patients are getting the responsive and inclusive whole-person primary health services they need,” Ruddy said.

As we continue to deepen our focus on health equity, we’ve discovered a wealth of resources. Ruddy and John Slater, our Environmental, Social, and Governance specialist, discovered the Rise to Health Coalition. The group focuses on equity and justice in health care and has engaged with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Rush University to create Rise to Health Equity: A Health Organization Learning Network. We have included a team of clinical and administrative staff as part of this network.

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has intensified its focus on equity, reflecting a broader national shift toward making health care more accessible and fair. NACHC has also started an equity learning collaborative, to which The Wright Center belongs.

“All these different organizations are starting to come out of the woodwork about equity and tracking data,” Ruddy said. “I think everyone began to realize that you can talk about your commitment to the concept all you want, but if it’s not in the data, then you’re not really accomplishing it.”

Focusing on health equity

“If your doctor looks like you, you are more likely to have better health outcomes because they understand you, and you understand them.”

– Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D. SVP of Enterprise Wellness and Resiliency, Assessment and Advancement, and Chief Strategic Research & Development Officer

“Understanding our patient population can help us obtain grant funding to pursue and implement resources. We can go to our legislators and help them understand the needs of the communities they represent. It’s really the key to offering a patient and community a true medical home.”

– Shannon Osborne Project Manager

Building a new path

The Wright Center reimagines

Regional Family Medicine Residency Program to address shortages in pediatrics, OB-GYN, and family services

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Regional Family Medicine Residency (RFMR) Program has been a cornerstone in efforts to train and retain family medicine physicians in Northeast Pennsylvania.

The legacy program’s innovative curriculum benefited both resident physicians and patients by successfully implementing the Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium model – providing vital hands-on experience in high-need, community-based settings while addressing the region’s physician shortage and providing essential family medicine services. The Wright Center agreed to become the program’s sponsoring institution in 2013 after it operated for many years as the former Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program.

Despite the program’s success in training physicians – including maintaining a 100% board pass rate since 2019 – and serving our local communities, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) announced in April 2024 its withdrawal of accreditation for the RFMR Program, effective June 30, 2025.

ACGME’s decision did not reflect the quality of resident training but rather a consequence of broader systemic challenges impacting health care in underserved communities.

“There are required components of family medicine training that we were unexpectedly unable to meet during the 2023-24 fiscal year due to the continued consolidation, commoditization, and corporatization of large health systems,” explained Linda ThomasHemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “These changes resulted in the elimination of critically needed acute care services that are essential to residents’ education.”

For example, Moses Taylor Hospital and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital both discontinued their inpatient pediatric services, removing a mandatory educational experience for family medicine residents. Additionally, the closure of obstetric services at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital forced The Wright Center to engage the Commonwealth Health Systems-owned OB/GYN group with paid contracts to meet ACGME educational requirements.

Stephanie A. Gill, M.D., MPH Program Director for our Regional Family Medicine Residency Program

Frank R. Kolucki Jr., M.D., FACOG Senior Adviser and OB/ GYN Physician Faculty for our Family Medicine Residency Program

Jennifer Swenski, D.O., FACOG Lead Educational Consultant, Site Director, and OB/GYN Physician Faculty for our Family Medicine Residency Program

These unexpected disruptions, beyond The Wright Center’s control, hindered the RFMR Program’s ability to fully meet ACGME accreditation standards and further exacerbated existing shortages of high-quality health care services for children, women, and families.

The Wright Center responded swiftly by engaging other health systems within its Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium to close these gaps and provide RFMR residents with the necessary training.

Transition planning following ACGME’s decision has been comprehensive, with administrative support provided to RFMR residents who wished to leave the program early. Ten of 12 first-year residents opted to transition before the start of the 202425 academic year. Simultaneously, the onboarding of 12 new RFMR residents continued, with only one opting out.

After current RFMR residents’ education needs were met, The Wright Center reimagined the RFMR Program, pursuing new ways to address regional doctor shortages in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and other essential family medicine services. An application for a new RFMR Program has already been submitted to ACGME.

In 2023, The Wright Center was awarded

three HRSA grants totaling $1.5 million to support the planning and development of new residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and pediatric dentistry. We have already expanded our Family Medicine Residency Program faculty by adding several highly respected physicians from our region. These include Frank R. Kolucki Jr., M.D., FACOG, chair of the Department of Obstetrics at Moses Taylor Hospital and a National Adviser for Commonwealth Hospital System’s Obstetrician/Pediatrics Council, who serves as our senior adviser and OB/GYN physician faculty member. Additionally, his colleague from the Commonwealth Health Physician Network’s ScrantonQuincy office, Jennifer Swenski, D.O., FACOG, is our lead education consultant, site director, and OB/GYN physician faculty member.

“Across America, there are many communities, including ours, struggling with inadequate provider coverage. It is incumbent on all doctors to address

that,” Dr. Kolucki said, outlining the importance of our new residency program. “Our relationship with The Wright Center is beneficial because we are training the next generation of doctors, teaching them the skills they need to become successful.”

The United States will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to new projections published in March 2024 by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The Wright Center remains unwavering in its commitment to developing innovative solutions that train and retain doctors to tackle these critical health care shortages.

“We are dedicated to continually finding new and improved ways to meet the needs of our region,” said Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP, our senior vice president of education and designated institutional official. “Our communities urgently need more physicians, particularly those who care for children and pregnant women. We believe that the future of medical education lies in innovation, collaboration, and adaptability, and we are committed to leading that charge.”

Our reimagined Regional Family Medicine Residency Program will address critical physician shortages in pediatrics, OB/GYN, family services, and geriatric medicine. Edward Dzielak, D.O., FACP, our Geriatrics Fellowship Program director, fourth from left, shares his expertise with Geriatrics Fellows, from left, Drs. Richard Bronnenkant, Ahmad Rafiq Khan, Stephanie Farah, Ogochukwu Ekete, and Arun Kumar, as they work to enhance care for our aging population.

‘Wright’ing the ship: The Wright

Center for Graduate Medical Education earns ACGME continued accreditation as a Sponsoring Institution

After nearly two years of focused effort, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education (TWCGME) earned continued accreditation as a Sponsoring Institution from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The announcement of our continued accreditation, effective October 10, 2023, marked the end of a probationary period that began in January 2022. The outcome of moving from probation directly to full continued accreditation without warning is not common, said Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP, our senior vice president of education and designated institutional official, particularly because the probation was extended after a site visit in September 2022, during which ACGME identified additional areas for improvement.

Many of the citations from AGCME’s first and second visits were related to our structure for educational oversight, learning and working environments, and institutional policies and procedures as a Sponsoring Institution.

provided many meaningful opportunities to collaborate with the ACGME,” Dr. Barooah said. “ACGME has been a beacon for me in my role as DIO and has consistently provided guidance as needed.”

“We worked diligently for our Sponsoring Institution to be removed from probation status and regain full continued accreditation. This mission-driven labor of love

A crucial step in addressing ACGME’s concerns involved a thorough restructuring of our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) to ensure its authority and oversight of our Sponsoring Institution as a committee of TWCGME’s governance board. Working alongside the designated institutional official, GMEC holds the authority and responsibility for overseeing and managing all of our Sponsoring Institution’s ACGME-accredited programs, ensuring they comply with ACGME institutional, common, specialty/subspecialty-specific program, and recognition requirements.

Our educational and executive leadership teams collaborated with program directors, staff, and board members to ensure we were aligned and compliant with ACGME requirements for both our Sponsoring Institution and residency programs.

“Our trauma-competent, recovery-oriented leadership authentically guided our successful journey of learning

Harold W. Baillie, Ph.D. Chair of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Board of Directors

Helayna Szescila Deputy Chief Governance Officer

to restore our Sponsoring Institution’s continued accreditation status,” Dr. Barooah said. “The countless valuable lessons we learned as we worked on this Sponsoring Institutional accreditation process made us a stronger institution and enterprise.”

ACGME’s decision to award our Sponsoring Institution’s continued accreditation allows us to launch new residency or fellowship programs and expand the number of residents permitted to train in a good-standing program. Previously, we were restricted from both actions while our Sponsoring Institution accreditation was on probation.

During the probationary period, our leaders worked with community partners to maintain medical education initiatives across our region. For example, we received a Rural Residency Planning and Development grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which was used to support Wayne Memorial Hospital’s efforts to launch a rural Family Medicine Residency Program. Only 2% of residency training occurs in rural areas, according to HRSA. Training residents in these settings not only improves access to health services but also increases the chances that these new Physicians will practice in rural communities.

A December 2023 letter from ACGME informs The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education that the ACGME Review Committee granted our Sponsoring Institution continued accreditation.

Shortly after learning about our continued accreditation for our Sponsoring Institution, our leaders successfully applied to expand our geriatric fellowship program. Meanwhile, we continue to explore opportunities for new residency programs, including potentially accredited programs in Pediatric Dentistry, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology. In April 2023, we secured three grants totaling $1.5 million from HRSA to support the planning and development of these residencies.

“Our dual mission to improve health and produce the workforce of tomorrow didn’t change throughout this experience,” said Brian Ebersole, our vice president of academic affairs and associate designated institutional official. “We are now aligned more closely with the needs of our communities and ACGME Sponsoring Institutional requirements and its Sponsoring Institutional 2025 vision, making us well prepared for the opportunities ahead.”

‘CLERly’ prepared

Graduate Medical Education prepares for Clinical Learning Environment Review

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education left no stone unturned as our teams of faculty, residents, fellows, and staff began preparations for an upcoming Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

To ensure that everyone is CLER-ready, our team leaders have distributed indepth learning materials, held biweekly meetings, conducted mock interviews and site visits, launched an employee CLER portal, and implemented various other ongoing preparations. ACGME announces CLER visits on short notice, providing a minimum of 10 days’ notice.

The ACGME CLER program was established in 2012 to provide feedback to U.S. teaching hospitals, health systems, Community Health Centers, and other clinical sites affiliated with ACGMEaccredited institutions. The program focuses on:

• Evaluating how well sponsoring institutions maintain primary clinical learning environments that foster six key areas, called Pathways to Excellence: patient safety, health care quality, teaming, supervision, wellbeing, and professionalism;

• Highlighting the sponsoring institution’s responsibility to ensure a safe and high-quality environment for learning and patient care;

• Enhancing resident knowledge and involvement in safety and quality improvement initiatives;

• Strengthening the integration of physicians into quality and safety efforts beyond their training years.

hospitals and ambulatory health centers, to gather input from a broad range of clinical staff.

At the end of each visit, the CLER team provides executive leadership with feedback on resident, fellow, and faculty engagement across the six Pathways to Excellence.

SVP of Education and Designated Institutional Official

BSN VP of Compliance, Chief Compliance Officer, and Member of GMEC’s CLER Subcommittee

To gather this feedback, ACGME conducts CLER site visits every 18 months, during which field representatives engage with executive leadership, patient safety and quality leaders, graduate medical education leaders, and groups of residents, fellows, faculty members, and program directors at Sponsoring Institutions. The team also visits primary clinical learning venues, such as

Our previous CLER site visit provided valuable insights into ACGME requirements, which were instrumental in guiding our preparation activities for this upcoming visit.

Each Pathways competency was meticulously reviewed, strategically mapped out, and assigned to our most suitable leadership members to ensure that all requirements were thoroughly addressed.

A CLER subcommittee within our Graduate Medical Education Committee was also established to prioritize the CLER Pathways, provide progress updates, and integrate them into daily operations.

Our clinical, educational, and executive team leaders successfully identified and ensured that all Pathways were being met by aligning existing workflows with CLER terminology and developing new practices where gaps were found.

A dedicated web portal with reference tools and presentations was created to provide comprehensive education for our staff, residents, fellows, and faculty on the CLER Pathways, the CLER site visit process, and how each competency was addressed. Our CLER subcommittee tracked progress and conducted mock site visits to test and fine-tune preparedness.

Our CLER subcommittee initiative significantly deepened our understanding and awareness of expectations, effectively integrating the CLER process with essential areas such as safe event reporting, PDSA activities, readmission rates, socioeconomic determinants of health, transitions of care, organizational structures, quality and safety committees, the Sanctuary Model, and other systems shaping our daily operations.

Jignesh Y. Sheth, M.D., FACP, MPH SVP and Chief Medical and Information Officer and Chair of GMEC’s CLER Subcommittee

Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP

Sheila Ford, RN,

OUR IMPACT

2023-24 BY THE NUMBERS

$198,978,143*

TOTAL ECONOMIC OUTPUT

$117,807,635*

TOTAL VALUE INFUSED INTO OUR REGIONAL ECONOMY

1,199*

JOBS SUPPORTED

WAGE TAXES

Graduate Medical Education

Total: $13,552,054*

Federal: $9,530,822*

State: $2,500,190*

Local: $1,246,869*

County: $274,173*

Community Health

Total: $15,357,538*

Federal: $11,633,434*

State: $2,373,332*

Local: $1,128,562*

County: $222,211*

Financial Strength

THE WRIGHT CENTER FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH’S ECONOMIC OUTPUT

$80,843,958*

THE WRIGHT CENTER FOR GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION’S ECONOMIC OUTPUT

$118,134,185* 671*

TOTAL WORKFORCE FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS

Patient & Community Engagement

A subsidiary of The Wright Center for Community Health, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement helps many of the most under-resourced individuals and families in Northeast Pennsylvania, including those experiencing poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, social isolation, transportation challenges, trauma exposure, or other hardships.

The nonprofit’s mission-driven efforts included:

• 6,300 - Families fed from regional food drives**

• 835 - Stocked backpacks distributed to students**

• 834 - Patients who received transportation assistance**

• 687 - Individuals who received assistance with utilities**

• 582 - Lives saved by donating 194 pints of blood**

• 563 - Patients who received free clothing**

• 473 - Patients provided with housing support**

Combined net operating revenue: $101.3 million**

Combined net assets: $54.8 million**

Grant revenue (federal, state, and foundation funders): $29.8 million**

Salaries and benefits as a percentage of combined net operating revenue: 60%**

*Source: The Institute (unaudited)

** Source: The Wright Center

Our therapy dog makes rounds to help our workers de-stress

Sadie, a cute and gentle canine, offers a ‘happy boost’ to our busy health care professionals and support staff in our primary care health centers and our education and administrative departments

To promote employee wellness, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education added a new member to our team: She works like a dog and gets rewarded mainly with handfuls of Cheerios.

Sadie Ann Finegan is a bona fide therapy dog. She has been certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and earned the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen certificate, signifying she completed a 10-skill test on good manners.

Sadie and her handler, Olyphant, Pennsylvania, resident Melissa “Missie” Finegan, routinely visit each of our locations in Northeast

Pennsylvania to provide our employees and resident and fellow Physicians with a brief workday break. For many, it seems to lift their spirits, too.

“If you watch Sadie interact with the staff, you immediately see their body language soften, you see their faces soften, you see grown men on the floor talking baby talk to an animal,” said Finegan. “I don’t know how many times we’ve heard, ‘I really needed this today.’”

We introduced the program in November 2023 and call it “animal-enabled wellness services.”

Finegan and Sadie travel monthly to our Community Health Centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties. During each hourlong visit, our employees are invited to drop by a conference room or other non-public area for a few minutes of Sadie time, dispensing gentle pats, pets, scratches, and snuggles – but no ruff-housing!

“If people need a little reprieve or a happy boost, they can take a moment away from their desks and interact with Sadie,” said Allison LaRussa, our associate vice president of health and wellness. “She makes you instantly feel good.”

When Sadie struts into our practices, she often draws a crowd of admirers, many of them snapping cellphone photos like paparazzi at a Taylor Swift sighting. Fans gawk and talk. Look at her long eyelashes. Is that a new bandanna she’s wearing? Oh my gosh, she has a Wright Center employee ID badge with her name on it!

But beneath the fuss and fun –including the distribution of dog treats – lies a serious purpose for the pooch’s presence.

The health care industry is coping with workforce challenges, including employee

Meet our therapy dog, Sadie Ann Finegan.

burnout and high turnover. The troubles intensified in hospitals and other health care settings during the COVID-19 outbreak. But they reflect a malaise impacting many modern U.S. workplaces in which people wrestle with anxiety, depression, and other behavioral health issues that can contribute to physical illness as well as poor productivity and job dissatisfaction.

Our leadership team has introduced a range of longand short-term initiatives, each demonstrating our organization’s commitment to promoting employee wellness.

As a stress-buster, Sadie might be just what the doctor ordered. Her handler describes her as “72 pounds of teddy bear.” The goldendoodle, a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle, has floppy ears, a huge button nose, and a molasses-sweet disposition, the combination of which puts smiles on the faces of almost everyone she meets.

During her visits at our Community Health Centers, efforts are made to not disturb patient care or infringe on employees who have pet allergies or don’t enjoy animal encounters for other reasons. For most people, she’s a dose of joy.

Our efforts include ongoing participation in the Sanctuary Institute’s model for organizational change, which gives workers the tools to improve their daily interactions with colleagues and others and to create a safer, trauma-competent workplace. Our employees can also access a whole-person wellness blog, mindfulness sessions, art sessions, and other supports, in addition to Sadie’s visits.

Our intent is to foster good health and resiliency among our staff and the many professionals who train within our clinics, including resident and fellow Physicians, Physician Assistants, Medical Assistants, and others.

“If our clinicians are not well, how do we provide the best care for our patients? We simply cannot,” said LaRussa. “So, allowing even a few minutes during a workday for some of these wellness initiatives to help people process – or to help them relax or whatever they might need – is really beneficial.”

“Sadie is a quick fix to a bad day,” said Finegan. “She brings that tail-wagging, panting, unconditional love that just makes everything OK.”

Finegan is a longtime patient of Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, our president and CEO, and the spouse of Bryan Finegan, our director of clinical compliance. Melissa Finegan initially asked to bring Sadie to her doctor’s appointments at the Mid Valley Practice for her personal support. Later, the two women discussed possibly engaging Sadie in a bigger mission.

“It just kind of snowballed into Sadie doing staff support,” Finegan said.

Sadie might expand her scope of service to more places in the future, Finegan said. For now, however, the duo is focused on learning the ins and outs of our primary and preventive care health centers, and meeting employees who are open to Sadie’s face-licking “kisses,” as well as those who prefer to engage from a distance.

“ If people need a little reprieve or a happy boost, they can take a moment away from their desks and interact with Sadie.”

–

Allison LaRussa

Wellness

SECTION TITLE GOES HERE

Digging into the details:

Journey to Sanctuary Certification

focuses on our core policies and procedures

As The Wright Center for Community Health and The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education continue working to implement the Sanctuary Model, key leaders have turned their attention to the policies and procedures that define our enterprise.

Our journey to implement the Sanctuary Model and achieve certification from the Sanctuary Institute in Yonkers, New York, began with an on-site assessment in August 2022. The Sanctuary Model acknowledges the impact of trauma on individuals, organizations, and systems, delivering services in a manner that avoids re-traumatization while addressing underlying traumas that prevent progress.

Since then, we have conducted four intensive training sessions for our executives, board members, and key administrative and clinical staff – more than 100

“

individuals in all – and created a Core Implementation Team to shepherd our progress to Sanctuary Certification. The 25-member team, now in its second year, includes clinical and administrative employees from across our enterprise.

“Working in a health center can be very intense. It is busy and often unpredictable in terms of who walks through the door and what they may be carrying emotionally, patients and staff alike,” said Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D., our senior vice president of enterprise wellness and resiliency, assessment, and advancement, and chief strategic research & development officer. “By learning how whole organizations can be traumatized and trauma-organized, including the intersections with personal and professional identity, and structural and systemic oppression, and how this impacts the experiences we have every day, the big hope is that each individual gets even just a little more adept at working with other people.”

Over the past year, our key staff members have focused on updating our policies and procedures to reflect the Sanctuary principles, which are rooted in four pillars: Trauma Theory, S.E.L.F. (Safety, Emotions, Loss, and Future) Framework, Sanctuary Toolbox, and the Seven Commitments, which include democracy, nonviolence, social responsibility, open communication, social learning, growth and change, and emotional intelligence.

Sanctuary training is crucial for creating a supportive workplace culture, and it empowers us to foster an environment of safety, respect, and collaboration. From my own observations, it truly has enhanced our ability to support one another and build stronger, more meaningful relationships.”

– Chelsea Chopko Chief of Administrative

CEO

“We want to bake these principles into the very structure of The Wright Center,” Ruddy said. “We want to make sure that everywhere people look, they see the threads of this work.”

The painstaking work will lead to the most impactful steps to date, she added. First, Ruddy and other members of our Core Implementation Team will develop a digital resource library for Sanctuary topics that employees can access as needed. Then, our team members will meet with our employees in small groups to introduce Sanctuary concepts.

“The big lift is making sure all our staff members know what Sanctuary is and why we’re doing this,” Ruddy said. “Let’s give everyone the foundation of knowledge, let them internalize the purpose, and then we can drop into huddles and support a deeper understanding of the tools.”

Our Sanctuary Project Leaders

Ruddy, Ph.D. SVP of Enterprise Wellness and Resiliency, Assessment, and Advancement, and Chief Strategic Research & Development Officer

““Sanctuary has significantly helped my emotional mindset and well-being in what can be a very intense and stressful work environment. ... One lesson that stuck with me involved how the emotions of others are not my responsibility. Changing my thought process regarding that and the reactions of others has really helped my mental health in and outside the clinic.”

– Bryan Boyle, MPAS, PA-C Co-Director

Physician Assistants

Shannon Osborne Project Manager

Allison LaRussa AVP of Health and Wellness

Meaghan

Hope restored

Desouza family’s kidney donation journey a testament to resilience, faith, and the power of selfless giving

Kenneth Desouza’s eyes fluttered open, a shallow breath escaping his lips as tears welled up.

The profound relief following his four-hour kidney transplant surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia left him in awe. His heart full, he immediately thanked God and then called his fiancée, Nicollette Gauthier, to ease her worries.

Nurses hurried down the hall to deliver the good news to his mother, Patricia, who had undergone surgery just hours earlier to selflessly donate her kidney to a stranger and who was now in recovery. Moments later, her husband, Larri, phoned her from the waiting room.

“Kenny’s surgery was a success,” he exclaimed with excitement.

Their relief was indescribable.

Their gratitude was immeasurable – to God, to the unnamed kidney donor from Wisconsin, and to countless doctors, hospital staff, family members, and friends.

“I’m grateful and appreciative of that angel who gave my son this gift,” said Patricia Desouza, a Peckville, Pennsylvania, section of Blakely small business owner, life coach, public speaker, mentor, eight-year member of The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors, and active Peckville Assembly of God

parishioner. “It’s a blessing to provide someone with the opportunity to live a full life.”

For her eldest of three sons, the life-altering gift he received on April 30, 2024, has opened doors long closed by numerous health challenges and hospitalizations over the years.

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12 and later with a kidney disorder called nephrotic syndrome in his late teens, his activities as an adult were further restricted by a chest catheter required for dialysis. This prevented him from enjoying simple pleasures, like taking long showers, which are now high on his to-do list.

“I’m going to take the longest shower ever,” said the 27-year-old talented musician who plays 10 instruments, manages a gas station, and volunteers as a youth minister with Gauthier. “I’m going to go jet skiing, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, and I’m definitely going to eat. I’ve always been a foodie but would limit my diet due to the condition I used to have. I will be playing music at my church on the worship team, going back to being a youth pastor, getting back into business, and most importantly, being the husband I know God destined me to be for my future wife, Nicollette.”

While Patricia Desouza’s recovery was swift and

The Desouza family, from left, Elisha, Larri, Patricia, Kenneth, and Joseph, on Mother’s Day 2023 at their church, Peckville Assembly of God.

painless, her son’s recuperation continues in the months since their surgeries. They remained in Philadelphia for about two weeks for his postoperative appointments before returning home to Northeast Pennsylvania.

“Everything went well and everything was successful,” she said. “My kidney is working amazing in the person who received it, and Kenny is doing great with the kidney that he received. We are so happy and grateful to have amazing people surrounding us in this blessed time in our lives. … God is good!”

Despite being an active and energetic person, even with his condition, her son quickly realized the importance of listening to his body.

“I needed to learn to take it easy and go at my body’s pace, not my mind’s pace,” he said. “All I need to do now is just get blood work weekly, see the doctor monthly, and take my medication on time to live a normal healthy, full life.”

There were times over the years when this seemed a distant dream.

“And God did,” she said. “Kenny was only on the transplant list a week.”

After Patricia and Larri Desouza also became patients at The Wright Center for Community Health, her husband’s health turned around as well, amidst concerns over his declining kidney function.

Under the care of his primary care physician, Jignesh Y. Sheth, M.D., FACP, MPH, who also serves as our senior vice president and chief medical and information officer, Larri underwent preparations for gastric bypass surgery to achieve the weight loss necessary for kidney transplant eligibility.

After an appointment with Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, our president and CEO, he finally received a correct diagnosis, a comprehensive treatment plan, and a renewed sense of hope, his mother said.

He added his name to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) national transplant waiting list on March 8, 2024, joining nearly 104,000 people, including about 7,000 Pennsylvanians, who need an organ donor. Of those, about 85%, or more than 96,000 nationwide, need a kidney, facing an average wait of three to five years, according to UNOS.

Although his mother’s kidney was a suitable match, the family of five staunchly believed that God would provide an even better one.

Successfully reducing his body mass index through surgery and obesity and lifestyle medicine services, he joined the national transplant list. Despite facing numerous challenges, he eventually found a compatible donor and underwent the same life-changing procedure as his son in spring 2023 at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.

Freed from the constraints of his triweekly dialysis regimen, the transplant brought about a significant transformation in his life, just like his son is expected to experience.

The Desouza family is a testament to organ donation’s incredible transformative power, Dr. Sheth said.

“One person’s selfless donation gave Kenneth Desouza a renewed lease on life, showcasing the incredible impact a single donor can have,” Dr. Sheth said. “We celebrate the heroes who give the gift of life, like Patricia Desouza, who selflessly donated her kidney to a stranger just hours before her son underwent his own kidney transplant surgery. We encourage everyone to consider becoming an organ donor. Each decision to donate not only saves lives but also instills hope, resilience, and new beginnings for countless families.”

Patricia Desouza visits with her eldest son, Kenneth, in his room at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where he underwent a life-changing kidney transplant on April 30, 2024. Patricia Desouza underwent her own surgery hours earlier to selflessly donate her kidney to a stranger through a national match program.

Giving and receiving the gift of life

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Managing simultaneous dialysis for both her husband and son at home became daunting for Patricia Desouza.

“If I didn’t have God, I don’t know how I would have made it through,” she said.

For her son, the most challenging part has been trusting the process.

“It took a while to get everything going and my condition was getting worse and harder to manage,” he said. “I was getting frustrated. But my fiancée helped me out so much in that area, and it’s because of her and my family and my God that I was able to have unwavering faith and trust in the process.”

He particularly credits his mother’s strength, faith in God, and her selfless sacrifice.

“I’m so grateful and blessed to have a mother who truly has unconditional love for her son and would do this for me,” he said. “I told my mom … once we’re healed, we’re going to be dancing on the dance floor in a couple of months (at his and Gauthier’s upcoming wedding in August 2024).”

How to donate:

Despite more than 4.9 million Pennsylvanians registered as organ, eye, and tissue donors, the need still far outpaces donations. To register to donate, visit DonateLifePA. org/register, or for more information, visit DonateLifePA.org. Just one person’s decision to donate can potentially save up to eight lives and positively affect up to 75 more.

Almost four months after the life-changing gift of a new kidney on April 30, 2024, Kenneth Desouza received another incredible blessing: marrying the love of his life, Nicollette Gauthier, in Homestead, Florida.

Donning our brightest REDS for National Wear Red Day

National Wear Red Day is celebrated annually on the first Friday of February to raise awareness about heart disease, particularly in women. Kara Seitzinger, our executive director of public affairs and adviser liaison to the president/ CEO, serves as our chair for the American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, Go Red for Women. On February 2, 2024, our employees wore different shades of the color as a symbol of solidarity and support for heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, yet many are unaware of the risks. By donning our reds, we helped bring attention to this important issue, promoting education, prevention, and the importance of heart health screenings. The day serves as a reminder that small actions, like wearing red, can have a big impact in spreading awareness and potentially saving lives.

The last full week of April is National Pediatric Transplant Week, spotlighting efforts to fulfill the pediatric transplant waiting list. Last year, more than 1,900 children received lifesaving transplants, matched from nearly 900 pediatric organ donors, according to Donate Life America. To register to donate, visit DonateLifePA. org/register, or for more information, visit DonateLifePA.org. To help Jake, visit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) website by scanning this QR code or call 1-877-ORGAN50 (674-2650).

‘There

are others who have it worse’

Honesdale family seeks kidney transplant for 10-year-old son

With his best friend in close pursuit, Jake Algerio dashed around the picnic table in early April 2024 where his mother, Brianne, sat.

Nearby, a giant tic-tac-toe game beckoned from the playground equipment, prompting the Lakeside School fourth graders to momentarily abandon their chase for a quick round.

Their laughter echoed as they raced toward one of Honesdale Central Park’s slides, their smiles radiant with the pure joy of childhood.

Tears welled as Algerio watched her son.

“I’m so grateful I didn’t listen to the doctors,” said his mother, a certified medical assistant at The Wright Center for Community Health Hawley Practice in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. “They gave him two months to live. We’re at 10 years.”

A warrior in a battle he never chose, Jake remains resilient in the face of relentless medical challenges. His kidneys – one, a mere centimeter long or a little smaller than the length of an aspirin tablet; the other just a half-centimeter – leave him reliant on nightly peritoneal dialysis, and in desperate need of a new kidney. It is a

far cry from the average-sized kidneys of a child his age, measuring around 9.42 centimeters.

A catheter nestled in his belly facilitates the five-hour dialysis while he sleeps, filtering out toxins within his body from the lining of his abdomen wall.

Hospitalizations, infections, surgeries, and the disappointment of a failed kidney transplant five years ago – each setback testifies to his unwavering strength, every trial woven into the fabric of his everyday life.

“There are others who have it worse,” he reassured his mother, his spirit unbroken despite the darkness that surrounds him.

To extend solace to those he encounters who are struggling, Jake often lifts his shirt to reveal the tube in his abdomen, sharing words of encouragement born from his own journey.

On April 16, 2024, Jake’s name was reactivated on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) national transplant waiting list – joining more than 104,000 people, including 2,100-plus children, in need of a donor, according to Donate Life America.

Algerio and her husband, Don Sweeley Jr., crafted a flyer outlining the donor qualifications for their son: an individual with either A+ or O+ blood type, who is physically fit, in good overall health, with no significant medical issues, and who has not undergone major abdominal surgery.

Jake Algerio and his mom, Brianne Algerio, spend time at a community playground.

“He’s doing his part, I’m doing my part,” said Algerio, of Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Algerio’s colleagues at The Wright Center are also rallying behind Jake’s cause, sharing the flyer and his story to help find him a compatible match.

“Jake is scared for the transplant,” Algerio said. “I tell him, ‘We’re trying to get you a better one.’”

Jake’s medical journey began before birth, as a serious bladder obstruction threatened his life in utero. After weighing options, Algerio, 20 weeks pregnant, underwent a minimally invasive surgery to insert bladder shunts –catheters inserted through her abdomen and into Jake’s bladder – allowing vital urine drainage.

However, complications persisted. At 32 weeks, Jake inadvertently dislodged one of the shunts, necessitating a second surgery to replace it. Two weeks later, a blockage developed, leading to Jake’s premature arrival on September 21, 2013, at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest. He spent the following two months in its neonatal intensive care unit. With no means for his bladder to naturally drain, surgeons created a temporary path for his urine to empty.

Predictions of kidney problems proved accurate. Sadly, by age 2, Jake required peritoneal dialysis. And at just 4 years old, a kidney transplant became a necessity in 2017, when one kidney ceased growing, barely functioning at 11% of normal capacity.

Then, as now, Algerio urgently appealed for a kidney donor on social media and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Jake continued to confront escalating health hurdles, leading to prolonged hospital stays, including treatments aimed at addressing his dangerously low hemoglobin levels. As these challenges mounted, his family faced significant financial strain, often forced to make difficult decisions like forgoing essential medications and cutting back on meals to accommodate Jake’s dietary restrictions.

Eventually, Jake’s name was added to UNOS’ deceased donor registry. After about six months on the organ transplant waiting list, just ahead of his sixth birthday in September 2019, he underwent his initial kidney transplant at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.

However, complications arose, leading to the removal of the kidney shortly thereafter. Despite his frail state, Jake marked his sixth birthday from a hospital bed, opening his cards and presents, and celebrating at the birthday party organized by his nurses and family.

Jake eventually recovered, rebuilding his strength. On December 7, 2022, he was reactivated on the UNOS donor registry. But, more hospitalizations and setbacks emerged, including infections and an aggressive lesion that required surgery, causing his name to be deactivated on the registry.

Now at CHOP and reactivated on the registry, Algerio prays for that better match.

“For his age, he’s so restricted,” she said. “He just gets so tired... I have to remind him to try not to get bumped in the belly and get any contusions. We’ve been through that before.”

Little League and traditional sports might be off-limits for Jake, but his true passion – and a welcome escape from the 11 daily medications and frequent medical appointments – is gaming.

Alongside his virtual adventures with Fortnite, Call of Duty, and more on his PlayStation 4, he embraces activities typical for 10-year-olds, from creating gaming YouTube videos, and playing with friends or his older brother, Ryan, 17, to teasing his two younger sisters, Zoey, 6, and Emma, 4, and cuddling his beloved dogs, Bell and Tony Baloney.

Although Spiderman stickers adorn

Jake Algerio enjoys a ride on a slide at a community playground.

Proudly supporting OUR communities

Wright Center sponsors Pridefest Parade and Celebration

The Wright Center for Community Health’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic was privileged to be the presenting sponsor for the Northeast Pennsylvania Rainbow Alliance’s annual Pridefest Parade and Celebration in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on June 23, 2024. We have been the presenting sponsor of the annual event since 2020.

Numerous employees participated in the parade and festivities on Public Square. The Rainbow Alliance provides education, support, and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. Melissa Bonnerwith, our Ryan White grants administrator, and Joe Farley, HIV program assistant in our Ryan White Clinic, delivered speeches during the program.

Building stronger communities with a youth football camp

Kenneth Gentilezza, M.D. Program Director of our Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program

The second annual Nittany Lion Summer Impact Football Camp returned to Scranton, Pennsylvania, on July 22, 2023, thanks to sponsorship support from Allied Services, Northeast Rehab Associates, and The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. Hundreds of regional children developed their skills and passion for football during the program at Riverfront Sports.

Nittany Lion football players who participated in the

camp, included 2022 Rose Bowl Championship teammates Beau Pribula, Curtis Jacobs, Liam Clifford, and area favorite Dominic DeLuca.

To watch our promotional video featuring DeLuca, please scan the QR code.

Abhinav Arora, D.O. Chief Resident of our Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program

Bradley Bierman, D.O. Chief Resident of our Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program

Participating in the

10,000 pairs of socks to distribute

Mary Marrara Co-Chair, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement Board of Directors

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement provides Bombas socks to residents in need

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) received 10,000 pairs of warm, cozy socks from Bombas to distribute to people experiencing homelessness and socioeconomic hardship throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.

Bombas is a comfort-focused, basic apparel brand with a mission to help those in need. The company was originally founded in 2013 because socks are the No. 1 most requested clothing item at homeless

shelters. Underwear and T-shirts are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. For every item purchased, a specially designed item is donated to someone at risk. To date, Bombas has donated over 100 million items.

TWCPCE helps many of the most under-resourced individuals and families in our region, including those experiencing poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, social isolation, transportation challenges, trauma exposure, or other hardships.

‘Road to Recovery’ car show benefits patients

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement engaged in our second annual “Road to Recovery” car show in August 2023 at Nay Aug Park in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in support of patients who utilize our state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence.

The family-friendly fundraiser featured prizes, music, raffles, food trucks, games, plenty of hot rods, and

much more. Pennsylvania designated The Wright Center for Community Health as an Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence in 2016.

Patients can visit any of our locations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wayne counties to connect with our supportive Certified Recovery Specialists, case managers, social workers, and medical providers to help them, through outpatient care, break the cycle of addiction.

delivery of the donation, from left, are Mary Marrara, co-chair of TWCPCE Board; Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, president and CEO and co-chair of TWCPCE Board; Kara Seitzinger, director of public affairs; Helayna Szescila, deputy chief governance officer; the Reverand Ryan Glenn, pastor of Christ the King and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Archbald; and Gerri McAndrew, director of development and relations for community outreach.

NEWS & NOTES

HRSA recognizes TWCCH; awards CHQR badges

The Wright Center for Community Health was awarded three Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges in three categories from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in November 2023 for quality work in 2022.

The CHQR badges recognized our use of health information technology to better serve our patients and their families, services to combat the COVID-19 public health emergency, and screening for and addressing social risk factors that can impact their health, such as lack of adequate housing and food insecurity.

HRSA annually reviews the performance data of health centers across the United States and then highlights the health centers that meet or exceed its goals in categories of special focus, such as improving health equity, access, and other quality measures. It bestows the top performers with the badges.

Wright Center plays key role in KeyHIE health data honor

program to validate information-sharing processes and ensure KeyHIE partners meet the rigorous standards set by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

We are a member of the Keystone Health Information Exchange (KeyHIE), which includes dozens of Pennsylvania hospitals and other participating organizations such as ambulatory health centers, hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and pharmacies.

In December 2023, NCQA awarded KeyHIE with the Data Aggregator Validation certification. We are now recognized as an approved “ingestion site” for KeyHIE data transmission.

Grant proceeds to help improve access to care

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education (TWCGME) was awarded a $3 million grant in June 2024 to train internal medicine residents and faculty to better serve patients living with limited English proficiency and/or physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.

The five-year Primary Care Training and Enhancement: Residency Training in Primary Care grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will be used to train our internal medicine residents and faculty in best practices for patients who all too often experience disproportionate impacts to care access.

Medical Education received an osteopathic manipulation treatment table in January 2024 from the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association (POMA).

Dr. William Swallow, president-elect of POMA, visited our administrative offices in Scranton to present the table and meet several students from the A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine who are learning with us. POMA’s foundation regularly makes donations to support osteopathic medical residents across our state.

Scranton Preparatory School supports our mission

In December 2023, Scranton Preparatory School donated 15,000 pounds of food to The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement as part of the Great Ignatian Challenge.

The annual competition raises awareness about hunger and motivates students to act by helping to feed those in need within their communities. The school students collected nearly 134,000 pounds of food, which was distributed to community partners, including the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank, Friends of the Poor, and Catholic Social Services.

Reflecting our commitment to the transfer of timely and accurate health data, The Wright Center for Community Health participated in a

TWCGME is one of 18 programs nationwide awarded a total of $8 million in grants as part of HRSA’s mission to improve access to health care for underserved and marginalized groups.

The Wright Center receives manipulation treatment table The Wright Center for Graduate

Healthy MOMS leader receives Tucker Award

Maria Kolcharno, MSW, LSW, our director of addiction services, was honored in October 2023 by Maternal and Family Health Services as the recipient of the Rose Allan Tucker Award.

The award was presented to Kolcharno in recognition of her long-standing commitment to helping individuals enter recovery, including women who participate in The Wright Center-led Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support (Healthy MOMS) Program for pregnant women and new mothers who have substance use disorders, and their children.

Organizers praised Kolcharno for offering “nonjudgmental, relatable, and honest encouragement to hundreds of pregnant women and new moms who are working through addiction and finding their way into long-term recovery.”

Primary care centers continue earning national recognition

The Wright Center for Community Health’s four health centers in Scranton, 501 South Washington Avenue; Wilkes-Barre, 169 North Pennsylvania Avenue; Clarks Summit, 1145 Northern Boulevard, South Abington Township; and Mid Valley, 5 South Washington Avenue, Jermyn, received commendations from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) during the 2023-24 fiscal year for delivering high-quality, patientcentered whole-person primary health services.

Each practice achieved the NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home certificate of recognition, acknowledging that we have the tools, systems, and resources to provide patients with the right care at the right time. Every

year, the practices undergo a formal review to ensure they comply with the Washington, D.C.-based organization’s highest standards.

The Wright Center for Community Health achieves Gold Advocacy Center of Excellence for the 2nd time

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) recognized The Wright Center for Community Health as a Gold Advocacy Center of Excellence (ACE) in January 2024 for the second time.

VP and Chief Primary Care and Public Health Policy Officer

Aimee Wechsler Director of Government Relations

Being awarded a second Gold ACE shows our continued dedication to advocating for and supporting Community Health Centers that provide comprehensive whole-person primary health services to medically underserved populations in rural and urban areas.

ACE levels recognize consistent

engagement, success, and ongoing commitment to prioritizing advocacy.

Community Health Centers that receive the designation are actively engaged with NACHC and forums addressing federal policy issues, as well as their state primary care association and platforms to address key state and local policy issues that impact the entities and their patients. NACHC awards three levels of ACES: bronze, silver, and gold. The status is valid for two years.

Dr. McFadden receives PAACP Dr. Ann Preston Women in Medicine Award

The Eastern Region of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians (PAACP) presented Erin McFadden, M.D., our deputy chief medical officer, medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice and Scranton Counseling Center, and dean of undergraduate medical and interprofessional education, with the Dr. Ann Preston Women in Medicine Award

Recognized as a chapter of the world’s largest medical-specialty society, the PA-ACP honored Dr. McFadden as part of its efforts to “recognize excellence and distinguished contributions to internal medicine.” Dr. McFadden accepted the award at the PA-ACP’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in November 2023.

The Dr. Ann Preston Women in Medicine Award was first awarded in 2019. It recognizes a PA-ACP chapter member whose outstanding efforts and achievements have promoted career success, leadership, and overall quality of life for women in medicine, fostering tomorrow’s women leaders in medicine.

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Laura Spadaro, MHA

NEWS & NOTES

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Pediatrician earns obesity medicine certification

Manju Mary Thomas, M.D., received board certification from the American Board of Obesity Medicine in December 2023 to better prepare her to help patients manage obesity and its many comorbidities and to lose weight.

Dr. Thomas also serves as our deputy chief medical officer and is our medical director of pediatrics and school- and community-based, patient-centered medical home services. In addition, she is a physician faculty member for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Regional Family Medicine Residency Program.

The Wright Center introduces NP postgraduate fellowship

The Wright Center for Community Health started preparations to launch an accredited 12-month primary care nurse

practitioner postgraduate fellowship program that provides hands-on clinical training experience for newly minted nurse practitioners. Joshua Braddell, our medical director at the Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn, Pennsylvania, is overseeing the new fellowship program.

Nurse practitioners who have licenses and are entering their first year of practice can apply to this first fellowship program of its kind in our region. We are accepting a limited number of applicants for the cohort.

To apply, email twc-np-fellowship@ TheWrightCenter.org

The nurse practitioners chosen for our fellowship program will receive progressive clinical exposure during the first year of their practice. The fellowship will help advanced practice nurse practitioners develop clinical and leadership skills through weekly didactic sessions and ambulatory and specialty clinical experiences.

Grant expands reach of Healthy MOMS Program

The Wright Center for Community Health received a nearly $60,000 grant in December 2023 to expand our treatment and recovery services in Pike County for pregnant women and new mothers struggling with substance use disorders, and their children.

Our grant will be used by the Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support Program (Healthy MOMS) to assist Pike County Children and Youth Services’ clients who are referred to the program.

Kolcharno, MSW, LSW Director of Addiction Services

The financial support was provided jointly by two federal agencies – the Administration for Children and Families and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – and made available through the Pennsylvania and Pike County Departments of Human Services.

Board members tour our primary care centers

In April 2024, numerous members of The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors traveled across the region to visit our primary and preventive care health centers and meet the dedicated employees who make it possible for us to provide comprehensive, whole-person primary health services to individuals of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses.

Every smile, conversation, and shared moment between our board members and our compassionate team members underscored their steadfast dedication to our mission to improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

Maria

The Wright Center hosts annual Scholars Day

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education hosted our annual Scholars Day Program on May 18, 2024. Our event included 34 research posters from physician learners in our residency and fellowship programs, the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, and the Geisinger Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Prizes were awarded for first, second, and third place in each poster session category. The winners included:

SESSION A WINNERS (Case Reports)

1st Place

Presenters: Keerthy Gopalakrishnan, M.D., and Ahmed Algohiny, M.D., Internal Medicine residents, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Poster: “A Case of Large Retropharyngeal Hematoma Secondary to Direct Oral Anticoagulant Medication”

2nd Place

Presenter: Sandeep Mandal, M.D., Internal Medicine resident, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Poster: “Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) Infection Mimicking Lung Abscess in a Patient with COPD”

3rd Place

Presenter: Yuexiu Wu, M.D., Internal Medicine resident, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education

Poster: “Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) Contributing to Acute Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures”

SESSION B WINNERS (Research and QI)

1st Place

Presenter: Amninder Singh, M.D., Internal Medicine resident, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Poster: “Trends, Outcomes, and Economic Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury Hospitalizations: A Comprehensive Analysis of National Readmission Data”

2nd Place

Presenter: Luke Cavanah, medical school student, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Poster: “Persistent Variability of Esketamine Use Among U.S. Medicare Patients Despite Increased Prescribing”

3rd Place

Presenter: Julian Burwell, medical school student, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Poster: “Neuroworsening: Improving Outcomes for Patients with Moderate Traumatic Brain Injuries”

SESSION C WINNERS (Case Reports)

1st Place

Presenter: Zara Younas, M.D., Internal Medicine resident, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education

Poster: “The Dark Horse Trigger for Inducing Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)”

2nd Place

Presenter: Muhammad Ali Awan, M.D., Geriatrics fellow, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education

Poster: “Atypical Lewy Body DementiaInduced Neurocognitive Decline Masquerading as Delayed Neurological Sequelae of Carbon-Monoxide Poisoning”

3rd Place

Presenter: Peter Iskander, M.D., Internal Medicine resident, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education

Poster: “A case of Subcapsular Renal Hematoma Status Post Celiac Artery Thrombectomy”

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education held its inaugural Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) competition on August 16, 2023. The contest is open to physician learners in our residency and fellowship programs. Our employees, including residents and fellows, started 3,842 PDSAs and filed 2,046 safe events from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.

Nineteen resident and fellow Physicians participated in the PDSA competition. The winners were: Internal Medicine

Resident Chilsia Shafi, M.D., first place, and Psychiatry

Resident Shreyas Deshmukh, M.D., and Internal Medicine

Resident Seyma Bayram, M.D., who tied for second place.

45th Annual Commencement Ceremony

‘Fostering a culture of compassion, equity, and service with every interaction’ Alumnus delivers keynote address to our 65 graduates

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education celebrated 65 resident and fellow physician graduates during our 45th annual commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Mohegan Pennsylvania Convention Center in Plains Township.

About 350 family members, staff, and others attended our ceremony, during which graduates from six disciplines were recognized: Internal Medicine, National Family Medicine, Regional Family Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Gastroenterology, and Geriatrics.

Humza Quadir, M.D., of Philadelphia, a hospitalist and clinical instructor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, graduated from our Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2022. In delivering his keynote address, he stressed the importance of primary care, community health, and serving at-risk populations. Dr. Quadir encouraged the graduates to create a supportive and inclusive health care environment.

“As Physicians, our calling isn’t just about the diagnosis

and treatment of diseases,” said Dr. Quadir, who also serves as an instructor at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.

“It is also about fostering a culture of compassion, equity, and service with every interaction. Each patient who walks through our doors is not just a case to be treated but a member of a larger community – a community that relies on us for care, compassion, and support. Whether we practice in urban or rural areas, let us remember our responsibilities to serve and uplift the communities we call home.”

Dr. Quadir earned his medical degree from Ziauddin University in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2014. During his residency, he served in several leadership roles, including Internal Medicine chief resident, vice president of the house staff council, a voting member of the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), and a member of GMEC’s Quality and Safety Committee.

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, our president and CEO; Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP, our senior vice president of education and designated institutional official; and Chief Resident Chilsia Shafi, M.D., a 2024 graduate of our Internal Medicine Residency Program, also delivered remarks at our graduation ceremony.

In 1977, The Wright Center’s journey began with our inaugural class of six Internal Medicine Resident Physicians. Challenges in graduate medical education and the delivery of primary care persist, including the American Medical Association’s forecasted shortage of up to 48,000 primary care Physicians by 2034 and its associated misdistribution of Physicians that limits access to vital health services for many individuals.

“Health Professional Shortage Areas are also prevalent, including here in our region, affecting the health and quality of life of our neighbors and friends,” said Dr. Barooah, a 2013 graduate of our Internal Medicine Residency Program. “These are daunting issues, but ones The Wright Center is working to address, thanks to our alumni.”

Dr. Thomas-Hemak thanked the graduates for their dedication and countless contributions in the delivery of our mighty mission to improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

“As healers, we must always strive to be beacons of hope and forces for positive change,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak said. “I am deeply humbled and profoundly grateful that you have shared a part of your life path, energy, and immense talent with us at The Wright Center.”

Class of 2024

Internal Medicine

Residency Program:

Udit Asija, M.D.

Maria Rose Dominic, M.D.

Jawahar Khan Durrani, M.D.

Sadaf Fatima, M.D.

Kyle D. Fistner, D.O.

Naeem Ijaz, M.D.

Peter Iskander, M.D.

Ayushi Jain, M.D.

Apeksha Kakkar, M.D.

Gursharan Kaur, M.D.

Abhaya Khatiwada, M.D.

Aishwarya Krishnaiah, M.D.

Aamir Makda, M.D.

Sandeep Mandal, M.D.

Sajeel Qayum Mirza, M.D.

Mohammed Musa Najmuddin, M.D.

Sarasija Natarajan, M.D.

Lakshmi Priyanka

Pappoppula, M.D.

Preya Patel, M.D.

Aniqa Raheem, M.D.

Khadijah Sajid, M.D.

Chilsia Shafi, M.D.

Ali Shah, M.D.

Sabeeka F. Shah, M.D.

Sumnima Shrestha, M.D.

Mashu Shrivastava, M.D.

Shila Simkhada, M.D.

Aayushi Sood, M.D.

Omar Syed, M.D.

Lekha Tejaswi Yadukumar, M.D.

Syed Muhammad Hussain Zaidi, M.D.

Jiayi Zheng, M.D.

National Family Medicine Residency Program:

Jacob Darnell, D.O., MA

Stephanie Nkiruka Egwuatu, D.O.

Joshua K. George, D.O.

Sandya George, D.O.

Katlyn Jones, D.O., MPH

Joshua Ryan Lloyd, D.O.

Hsuan-Chieh Jasper Luoh, D.O.

Leonardo Ivan Mejia, D.O.

Fatema Osama Nassar, D.O.

Leon Nguyen, D.O.

Alisa Pham, D.O., M.S.

Dunal Richard Riveland, D.O.

Enne Shah, D.O.

Emily Beth Silberstein, D.O.

Mary Grace Tabakin, D.O.

Wei-Jen Chua Yankelevich, D.O., Ph.D.

Regional Family Medicine Program:

Tony AbdelMaseeh, M.D.

Neil F. Espiritu, M.D.

Vivek Gautam, M.D.

Ruhi Goraya, M.D.

Aniq Rahibul Hakim, M.D.

Anitesh Jaswal, M.D.

Amatus Aria-Ona Legbedion, M.D.

Edwin Nyamwaya Mogaka, M.D., Ph.D.

Mohana Preesha Partheeban, M.D.

Nirshanthika Raviendren, M.D.

Omar Saeed, M.D.

Ankit Sethi, M.D.

Sahil Sharma, M.D.

Safwaan Suleman, M.D.

Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program: Yaser Khalid, D.O.

Gastroenterology Fellowship Program: Fouzia Oza, M.D.

Geriatrics Fellowship Program:

Muhammad Ishaq, M.D.

37

Matched residents in the following regional programs:

13 Regional Family Medicine Residency Program

Residency Program

Our regional residency programs welcome 51 new doctors on annual Match Day 100% MATCH

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education welcomed 51 new resident Physicians into our regional residency programs after achieving a 100% match on National Match Day for aspiring doctors on March 15, 2024.

The annual National Resident Matching Program Match Day is held on the third Friday of March. Medical students nationwide and worldwide simultaneously learn at which U.S. residency program they will train for the next one to seven years. It is one of the most important and competitive processes in the medical school experience.

We look forward to Match Day each year because we learn which medical school graduates will continue their training in our Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited community-focused residency programs in Northeast Pennsylvania. We are one of the largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Consortiums in the country, with more than 245 Physicians in training. Matched resident Physicians began the first year of their residencies

Timothy

on July 1, 2024, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The incoming first-year residents hail from: Bahrain, 1; Canada, 6; China, 1; India, 9; Nepal, 3; Pakistan, 12; Philippines, 2; Saint Lucia, 1; Saudi Arabia, 1; Serbia, 1; Uganda, 1; United Kingdom, 1; and the United States, 12.

Scan the code to watch a video about Match Day.

Our residency programs received 5,072 applications and interviewed 516 candidates or 10.17% of the applicants.

Physicians begin fellowship programs

At the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, eight fellows joined our Gastroenterology and Geriatrics Fellowship programs, which were announced in November 2023. Among them were Class of 2024 Internal Medicine graduates Peter Iskander, M.D., and Udit Asija, M.D., who entered our Gastroenterology Fellowship Program, as well as Class of 2023 Internal Medicine graduate Richard Bronnenkant, M.D., who joined our Geriatrics Fellowship Program.

Our fellowship programs received 449 applications for the available slots. Three fellow Physicians joined our Gastroenterology Fellowship Program with program director Vikas Khurana, M.D., and five fellows joined our Geriatrics Fellowship Program under the direction of program director Edward Dzielak, D.O., FACP.

Burke, D.O., FACOI, is the associate program director of our Internal Medicine Residency Program.

National Health Center Week takes flight

The Wright Center raises flag in Jermyn, Pennsylvania — the birthplace of U.S. First Aid

In observance of National Health Center Week, The Wright Center for Community Health held a series of special activities across the region, including a special flag-raising ceremony at our Mid Valley Practice that included the inaugural presentation of the Community Champion Award to a longtime law enforcement officer.

Our weeklong celebration, from August 6-12, 2023, helps to draw attention to the critical role that Community Health Centers play in strengthening the delivery of affordable, high-quality, nondiscriminatory whole-person primary health services to underserved populations across our nation.

We are one of about 1,400 health centers in the United States, which collectively serve more than 30 million people annually, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers, organizer of National Health Center Week.

During National Health Center Week, we celebrated our health care providers, board members, stakeholders, staff, and most importantly, the patients and families across Northeast Pennsylvania who turn to us for their primary health care.

On Friday, August 11, we raised the newly designed Jermyn Borough flag at a ceremony attended by about 70 people, including community members, employees, and board members. Attendees included Pennsylvania State Representative Kyle Mullins, who represents Jermyn as part of the 112th Legislative District; Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak; Adeline Rocco, a representative from Pennsylvania State Senator Rosemary Brown’s office; and Bruce Smallacombe, the president of Jermyn Historical Society.

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, our

president and CEO, spoke at the flag raising, focusing on her deep roots in Jermyn and our history in the regional and local community.

“It’s been 25 years of hard work that went into making this all possible,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak said. “Jermyn Borough is where it all began, and this is where we continue to pilot many of our primary health delivery and educational innovations and service lines to better serve our community and educate our current and future health care workforce.”

During his remarks, Representative Mullins praised The Wright Center’s work in the community.

“The value of community health centers is no secret. But it’s impossible to know the full impact of your work,” he said. “What you do here on a daily basis matters so much.”

As part of the ceremony, borough resident and flag designer Amy Ryczak and her family joined Dr. Thomas-Hemak to raise the new Jermyn flag, which features a green cross and red heart that honor Jermyn as the birthplace of first aid and hometown of our hearts.

We presented Pennsylvania State Trooper Robert Urban with The Wright Center’s inaugural Community Champion Award. The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to our mission to improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

Trooper Urban worked closely with our staff to develop an active shooter training program for our health centers, and education and administrative departments in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties. The award was presented by Sheila Ford, our vice president and chief compliance officer.

Hosted scholar powers up our energy-saving efforts

A sustainability action plan will offer a ‘road map’ for reducing utility costs, addressing links between climate change and

Rachel Huxhold arrived at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice in early 2024 for a checkup of sorts, but her interest wasn’t in seeing a doctor.

Instead, she wanted to peer into our building’s maintenance closets and closed-door spaces where water heaters, heating/cooling units, and other devices work to keep the clinic functioning and comfortable – and consume energy.

Her aim: Assess energy utilization, uncover waste, and promote conservation.

Huxhold earned her master’s degree in sustainability from the Harvard Extension School in May 2024, with significant credit to her capstone project, which focused on creating a sustainability action plan for our Community Health Centers in Northeast Pennsylvania. She presented the completed plan to our leadership team in April as part of her work as a student consultant.

The plan, which she describes as “a road map or reference guide,” recommends energy-saving strategies, Huxhold said. The plan also identifies future opportunities for us to consider as we “think through how to operate more sustainably” and possibly look to renewable energy alternatives.

“Energy usage is the main area we’re tackling,” said Huxhold. “But I’m also looking at waste and water activity, how folks are using the building – really to imagine a myriad of ways to be more environmentally conscious.”

We demonstrated our growing commitment to environmental sustainability in early 2023 when we hired John Slater as our first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) specialist.

“The sustainability plan that Rachel prepared for us has a tailored set of recommendations,” said Slater. “The plan is actionable for us because there are so many energy-conserving things out there for us to do.”

Our leadership team reviewed the report’s suggestions in the spring, so we can potentially make changes and

health

start saving money that can be reinvested in patient care and health services. Beyond lowering utility bills, there are likely to be other benefits. Chief among them will be our ability to withstand severe weather events so we can fulfill our role as an essential community provider and continue to serve low-income patients of all ages, even in challenging circumstances.

“It’s about resiliency,” said Huxhold. “As climate change progresses and we have stronger heat waves, more severe storms, and other things, there are definitely benefits to making sure the facilities are able to perform the functions that they need to in all kinds of more extreme conditions to avoid interruptions in service operations.”

There can also be a reputational benefit to being a sustainability leader among Community Health Centers. As word spreads, our emphasis on conservation and climate awareness could serve as a draw for job seekers who prefer “green” organizations over those that seemingly remain ambivalent about our planet’s problems.

To perform an energy audit of our facilities, Huxhold first looked at the paper records, including utility bills and written descriptions of our building management systems. Then, she followed up with fieldwork.

Huxhold, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts, visited Northeast Pennsylvania in mid-January, touring our Mid Valley and Wilkes-Barre practices. The two buildings are owned, not leased, by us, allowing for recommended energy-conserving steps to be followed more easily and quickly.

Dennis Hand, director of facilities management, Michael Sobolewski, maintenance worker, and Slater accompanied the student consultant as she eyeballed our buildings’ heating and cooling systems, water heaters, generators, and other equipment. She peered over IT gadgets and looked at light fixtures. She checked for drafty doors and windows. She noted facility conditions (later commending us for its upkeep) and asked plenty of questions of employees who use the buildings.

At the outset of her capstone project, Huxhold had contacted the National Association of Community Health Centers in Bethesda, Maryland, asking for its guidance on narrowing the choices of potential project partners.

“The Wright Center was the first group they mentioned,” she said. “They explained that ESG work was an emergent priority for The Wright Center, and it wants to be a leader in the health care space for climate action. It seemed like the perfect marriage.”

Federal officials urge health care organizations to connect the dots between the environment and health. In 2021, the Biden administration established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity to examine how the environment impacts Americans’ health and to ramp up protection for people, “especially those experiencing a higher share of exposures and impacts,” according to the office.

As part of the initiative, health centers, hospitals, and related groups nationwide

are signing on to the Health Sector Climate Pledge, a voluntary commitment to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

In 2023, The Wright Center was also accepted as a network organization into the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector, a public-private partnership of leaders from across the health system committed to addressing the sector’s environmental impact while strengthening its sustainability and resilience.

We will likely have major opportunities to weave energy efficiency into our operations as we continue working on Phase III of our Wilkes-Barre Practice. Slater believes we will increasingly be able to highlight our actions, serving as an example and sharing lessons with patients and communities about energy conservation and the connection between climate and public health.

John Slater

Our Environmental, Social, and Governance Specialist

Rachel Huxhold Harvard Extension School Graduate

To learn about life support training offered by The Wright Center for Community Health’s American Heart Association training site, scan the code or contact Carmen Passaniti at passanitic@ TheWrightCenter.org or 570.335.3307. Training sessions are available throughout the communities we serve in Northeast Pennsylvania.

The ‘Wright’ training site for vital life support services

Our American Heart Association-designated site offers cardiopulmonary resuscitation and related courses to professionals and individuals wanting skills to respond in cardiac emergencies

Longtime paramedic and volunteer firefighter Carmen Passaniti understands that saving the life of someone in cardiac arrest often hinges on actions taken before emergency responders arrive.

“If cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) isn’t started immediately, the chances of a successful outcome are extremely low,” said Passaniti, our director of employee health and coordinator of continuing medical education. “Without early intervention – without basic life support – nothing else really matters.”

Passaniti leads efforts to provide various levels of life support training to anyone in the region who wants or needs it, ranging from hospital and health center employees, to interprofessional health care students from regional academic institutions, to people with no connection to the medical field.

Under his able leadership, we officially became an

American Heart Association (AHA) training site in August 2023, allowing us to begin delivering important services to the communities we serve in Northeast Pennsylvania. For professionals who are required to get certifications and recertifications, we provide affordable trainings in Basic Life Support, Heartsaver Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization (PEARS).

For beginners, Passaniti covers essential topics such as Narcan administration training, recognizing signs of sudden cardiac arrest, and using an automated external defibrillator (AED), a device that helps restore the heart’s rhythm. All courses follow the AHA’s training site guidelines, which are recognized as the gold standard.

The establishment of our AHA training site enables us

Carmen Passaniti joined The Wright Center as our director of employee health and coordinator of continuing medical education.

to efficiently train and recertify our students and staff, including Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Medical Assistants, and other clinicians, while also addressing the broader needs of our communities.

First-time participants in Passaniti’s basic-level training are not only taught critical lifesaving skills but also given the confidence to act. Many people are understandably anxious about intervening in an emergency, worried they might cause harm or face legal consequences. Passaniti reassures them that every state has Good Samaritan laws to protect those who offer help, emphasizing the importance of acting in these life-or-death moments.

That’s why people like Passaniti are eager to spread training throughout our communities, increasing the odds that lifesaving help might be close at hand when needed at homes, houses of worship, workplaces, schools, sports fields, grocery stores, and other social spaces.

Passaniti is also spearheading our efforts to become an AHA training center, a distinction earned by training a certain number of people annually and meeting other standards.

“Anything you do is a positive,” said Passaniti, who also oversees the health aspects of new employee onboarding to ensure compliance with health mandates like vaccinations. “People worry about doing CPR incorrectly or causing injury, but it’s always better to try. Some CPR is better than no CPR.”

More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospital settings each year in the United States, according to the AHA. Yet, in only about 40% of those cases do the victims get the immediate help they need before the arrival of emergency responders.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if administered immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival, according to the AHA.

Even as he reaches an age at which many people opt to retire, the West Abington Township resident feels compelled to continue to conduct trainings, so he can teach and inspire younger generations.

He also knows that, for some of the people he trains, there will be more at stake than a feeling of accomplishment or a certification. A life will hang in the balance. A fast-acting family member or bystander will step in, use their training, and forge the first link in a so-called “chain of survival” that begins with basic life support and connects to skilled emergency responders and, finally, to hospital professionals.

The outcome, while never certain, can be spectacular.

“Someone is going to see their family again,” said Passaniti. “They’ll leave the hospital neurologically intact and go home with the same quality of life.”

Carmen Passaniti, our director of employee health and coordinator of continuing medical education, center left, and Scott J. Constantini, our associate vice president of primary care and recovery services integration, center right, provided Narcan training at the Wayne Family Health Center in Hamlin, Pennsylvania.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) supports the mission of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education by actively involving patients and communities in enhancing and transforming primary health services, fostering interprofessional workforce development, and driving public health improvements.

Our nonprofit organization achieves this by focusing on education, advocacy, and effectively addressing the socioeconomic determinants of health that disproportionately affect our underserved and rural communities.

Our board, consisting of patients and local professionals, plays a crucial role in assisting our region’s most vulnerable populations, including those experiencing homelessness, poverty, food and housing insecurity, limited access to education and job opportunities, lack of transportation, social isolation, trauma exposure, and more.

Board members facilitate volunteer projects and community-based educational initiatives, such as health fairs, blood drives, and giveaways of nutritious food, clothing, and school supplies, along with various mission-driven activities and programs.

Our annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament raises tens of thousands of dollars to support these efforts, ensuring that individuals of all ages have access to affordable, high-quality, indiscriminate whole-person primary health services, regardless of ethnicity, insurance status, ZIP code, or the ability to pay.

For more information about or to donate to TWCPCE, scan the code.

GOLF TOURNAMENT SUPPORTS OUR

MISSION

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) hosted its second annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament at Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in May 2024, raising nearly $41,000.

The captain-and-crew tournament was held in honor of the late John P. Moses, Esquire, a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, native, influential attorney, and longtime philanthropist. His leadership was instrumental in helping us establish the emerging Health City Hub in Wilkes-Barre, now the largest Community Health Center within our nonprofit’s expanding network in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties. Our Luzerne County location officially opened on January 9, 2023, following the urgent relocation of our Community Health Center from First Hospital in Kingston, due to the hospital’s closure.

Tournament sponsors included The Prescription Center, Sordoni Construction Services Inc., PNC, Community Bank, The Moses Law Group, Lockton, Matt Burne Honda, and Allied Services Integrated Health System.

We plan to name the emerging Health City Hub in Wilkes-Barre at 169 North Pennsylvania Avenue after Moses, who passed away on October 31, 2022. Moses’ son, Wilkes-Barre attorney Peter J. Moses, served as honorary chair of our 2024 golf fundraiser.

Our golf tournament’s 2024 program honored the late John P. Moses, Esquire.

The 2025 Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament is on Monday, May 19, at Glenmaura National Golf Club. The tournament is named after the late William M. Waters, Ph.D., who served as vice chair of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Board of Directors and co-chair of TWCPCE. He passed away on July 21, 2022.

To enter the tournament or reserve a sponsorship, please contact Holly Przasnyski, director, TWCPCE, at 570.209.3275 or przasnyskih@TheWrightCenter.org. For up-to-date information, visit our website at TheWrightCenter.org/events.

Spitz Foundation grant supports The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement programs

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) received an $8,000 grant in September 2023 from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, which the Scranton Area Community Foundation oversees. The grant aims to reduce financial burdens on patients and community members, contributing to improved health and well-being in our communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The grant supports a food donation program and transportation assistance to and from doctor appointments.

“Food and transportation insecurities make it difficult for our patients to address their health needs,” said Holly Przasnyski, director, TWCPCE. “This grant provides us with the ability to address transportation and food insecurities for our patients, removing barriers and allowing them to address their medical needs.”

Participating in the ceremonial check presentation, from left, are Laura Ducceschi, president and CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Mary Marrara, co-chair, TWCPCE Board; Holly Przasnyski, director, TWCPCE; and Cathy Fitzpatrick, grants and scholarship manager, Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Pop-up food pantry and coat giveaway addresses food and clothing insecurities in our communities

The Wright Centers for Graduate Medical Education, Community Health, and Patient & Community Engagement collaborated with the Eastern Region of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians (PA-ACP) in February 2024 on a volunteer-driven “Leap into a Day of Giving” pop-up food pantry at Weston Field in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Our President and CEO, Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, serves as Governor of the Eastern Region of PA-ACP, and organized the event.

To address food and clothing insecurities in the region, our volunteers prepared bags of nonperishable food items and bags of warmth that included dry cereal, breakfast bars, pasta, soups, cans of vegetables, tuna, chicken, warm winter coats, and more.

Scan the code to learn about upcoming food pantries in our communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Bags filled with nonperishable food items and bags of warmth were distributed to numerous individuals in our communities during “Leap into a Day of Giving.”

Medical interpreters give patients a true voice

Newly trained employees help to ensure Spanish-speaking individuals get same level of access and care in our community health centers

Anthony Beltran recently formed a habit of watching Netflix movies with the Spanish subtitles turned on, not for his own understanding but to keep his Spanish language skills sharp for his day job.

Beltran is one of two newly trained medical interpreters who are able to assist Spanish-speaking patients at The Wright Center for Community Health, helping to ensure they get the same level of access to primary health services as people whose native tongue is English.

“Everybody deserves access to high-quality health services our health center offers,” he said. “They deserve someone who is certified to interpret, who is very well trained, and who can accurately interpret every single meaning.”

Beltran and Lida Kiefer, each a Certified Medical Assistant II, completed a 40-hour medical interpreter training program.

Kiefer had long been interested in the training and seized on the opportunity when it became available as part of a grant-funded project to enhance our health care navigation services for people with limited English proficiency. She sees high-quality interpretation as essential so “people can understand and participate in their care,” she said.

“For patients, the benefits are huge: They’re able to understand what is going on with their own care and advocate for themselves,” Kiefer said. “They’re not just sitting there and nodding their head because they feel as if that’s all they can do.”

Medical interpreters are specially trained professionals whose skills go beyond knowing the right words to relay sometimes complex medical terms and concepts. They understand how cultural issues, colloquialisms, newly created words, and the fluidity of the world’s ever-changing languages can shape how a message gets interpreted or misinterpreted.

Lida Kiefer, right, interprets conversations between clinicians such as Nirali Patel, M.D., and patients with limited English proficiency who speak Spanish.

Medical interpreters also show respect for all parties. By doing so, they build a foundation for mutual trust and accurate communication, allowing the patient to be a full partner in determining an effective treatment plan.

“It’s important to remember these are patients’ lives we’re talking about,” said Beltran. “To many working in health care, it may be just a case. But to them, it’s their life. And, so, we have to always take that into consideration.”

As a medical interpreter, Anthony Beltran assists our Spanishspeaking patients.

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration visits The Wright Center and tours our Teaching Health Centers

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce visited The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education in March 2024 to provide technical assistance and gather information about our Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education programs.

HRSA is the federal agency that designated us a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike in 2019 and awards grants to our graduate medical education programs. Our executive team was honored and excited to be given the opportunity during the two-day visit to highlight our amazing success over the past 13 years with our Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education programs.

The HRSA site team included Witzard Seide, M.D., chief of HRSA’s Graduate Medical Education Branch (GMEB); Thuy-Tien Le, D.O., project officer, GMEB; and Lieutenant Commander Alicia Sherrell, DrPH, project officer, GMEB.

Our executive leadership team, institutional program leadership, program chiefs, resident Physicians, board members, and others participated in the visit and provided tours of our Scranton and Mid Valley health centers.

Following a tour of our Scranton Practice, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration site visit team posed for a photo with our executive leadership team. Participating in the photo, seated from left, are Kellie Knesis, M.S., SHRMSCP; Brian Ebersole; Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP; and Laura Spadaro, MHA; standing, Thomas Glaser, MPA; Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D.; Jennifer Walsh, Esquire; Jignesh Y. Sheth, M.D., FACP, MPH; Witzard Seide, M.D.; Thuy-Tien Le, D.O.; Lieutenant Commander Alicia Sherrell, DrPH; Linda ThomasHemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP; Ronald P. Daniels, MBA, CPA; Aimee Wechsler; Douglas Klamp, M.D.; and Sandra Yastremski, CPA.

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services learns about integrating behavioral health into primary care

Site visit participants included seated, from left, Gwendolyn Zander, Esquire, Jennifer Smith, and Kendra Snuffer, MPA, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services; standing, Erin McFadden, M.D., Kathleen Barry, Scott J. Constantini, Aimee Wechsler, and Laura Spadaro, MHA, all of The Wright Center.

The Wright Center welcomed representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services for a site visit in February 2024, which included discussions with Physicians, provider teams, and executive leadership at our Community Health Centers in Lackawanna County.

During the one-day visit, Gwendolyn Zander, Esquire, director of the Bureau of Managed Care Operations; Jennifer Smith, deputy secretary of the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; and Kendra Snuffer, MPA, chief of staff of the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, observed our primary care teams in action. They were given insight into how we integrate behavioral and mental health and addiction services with whole-person primary health services to strengthen primary care and improve access for our communities.

Thanks to the visit and tour of our Scranton, Mid Valley, and School-Based Health Centers, our visitors saw an integrated system in action and learned about the lessons we learned in championing a paradigm shift toward proactive health care that prioritizes comprehensive preventive care and patient education.

Mission Delivery

Wright Center-trained Advanced Education in General Dentistry resident joins

our team to provide high-quality

oral health services

Michael Regan, DMD, was on a one-year plan when he selected The Wright Center for Community Health for his postdoctoral Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Residency Program through our partnership with NYU Langone Health’s Dental Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Program.

His goal was to obtain a required New York State license after completing the yearlong AEGD Residency Program in June 2024 to become a primary oral health services provider just over the Pennsylvania border in Broome County, New York, where his parents live.

But after working closely with our dental care team as part of the program’s advanced hands-on training, he cannot imagine delivering oral health services elsewhere.

“I’m not leaving when I finish my residency,” said Dr. Regan, a Hershey, Pennsylvania, native who received his doctoral degree in dental medicine from Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona. “I’m going to be leading a team of dental practitioners at the Wilkes-Barre Health Center.”

We rolled out weekly dental services in our downtown Wilkes-Barre Practice in July 2023 and will begin providing daily dental services on August 5, 2024, when Dr. Regan starts his new job. The facility at 169 North Pennsylvania Avenue will offer dental services from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Dr. Regan, his wife, Lydia, who is a Physician Assistant, and their two golden retrievers, Keta and Huckleberry, will relocate to a community near Wilkes-Barre from Conklin, New York, where they live in a log cabin his family built and where he spent weekends as a child.

Dr. Regan’s change of heart also stems from seeing firsthand the growing need for dentists in Northeast

Pennsylvania and developing solid skills while providing affordable, high-quality oral services in our state-ofthe-art dental clinics in Scranton and Mid Valley and aboard our Driving Better Health mobile medical and dental unit.

The skills learned from working closely with Caitlin McCarthy, DMD, program director for our AEGD Residency Program, are unmatched elsewhere, he said.

Dr. Regan also praises the other Wright Center employees he works with, including Jimmy Browder, dental assistant; Melika Mokhtari, lead expanded function dental assistant; Frances Frankovsky, certified dental assistant; and Bernadette Lukasik and Dan White, both public health dental hygienists.

“The dental team is great here,” said Dr. Regan, an adventurer at heart who worked as a professional dive leader during a 2017 internship in Roatán, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras, and at Taku Smokeries Fish Processing facility in Juneau, Alaska, in 2018. He also was a Midwestern University Dean’s Research Fellow from 2019-21, researching how adding silver to bioactive glass, which is a bone-grafting material used in dentistry, kills bacteria and helps patients heal faster.

Dr. Regan chose us from nearly 80 AEGD Residency Program training sites also affiliated with the Brooklyn, New York-based NYU Langone Health. The world’s largest postdoctoral dental residency program of its kind, the NYU Langone Health Program trains about 400 residents annually at partner sites, such as hospitals, private dental practices, and Federally Qualified Health Centers, in nearly 30 states.

The Wright Center, the NYU Langone Health AEGD Program’s sole Pennsylvania affiliate, has hosted two dental residents each academic year since becoming a program partner in 2021.

“I wanted to work at a public health center close to my hometown, and The Wright Center is the only training site in Pennsylvania for the program,” Regan said. “My hope was to become a more well-rounded provider and

to practice comprehensive dentistry. One of the biggest benefits of The Wright Center’s program has been developing a skill set that you wouldn’t get elsewhere.”

It is Regan’s passion to be the best Dentist he can be that makes him stand out, said Dr. McCarthy. “He didn’t have to do this residency,” she said. “The residency is not a requirement to practice dentistry in Pennsylvania or most other states. But he wanted to do it to learn as much as he could to be a better Dentist.”

As part of the program’s clinical curriculum requirement that meets the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards, 80% of the residency – a minimum of 40 hours a week for 52 weeks – is spent providing comprehensive general dentistry treatment and services to our patients.

The remaining 20%, or about 250 hours, is coursework, such as monthly lectures we offer to enhance residents’ education, online presentations, and live video sessions with other program residents throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Topics include oral health care for pediatric, geriatric, medically compromised, and special needs patients, and the latest information on dental procedures and practice management.

Much of what is learned through the AEGD Program, such as advanced oral surgical and endodontic techniques, is not taught in dental school.

“The aim of the AEGD Program is to give new graduates more experience with procedures that are more involved or a greater number of procedures than you get in graduate school,” said Dr. McCarthy. “Since we started offering the program, the residents have greatly exceeded the number of procedures and CODA requirements.”

At a glance

What: The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre will begin offering daily dental services on Monday, August 5, 2024.

When: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday

Where: 169 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

How: To make an appointment, call 570.491.0126 or go to TheWrightCenter.org.

“

One of the biggest benefits of The Wright Center’s program has been developing a skill set that you wouldn’t get elsewhere.”

– Michael Regan, DMD

The Wright Center for Community Health Postdoctoral Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program Class of 2024

New partnership brings medical students to region

In June 2024, The Wright Center for Community Health welcomed four medical students from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) to begin their clinical rotations at our Community Health Centers, as well as other locations throughout the region. The 2024-25 academic year marks the launch of the partnership between us and LECOM, which is open to third- and fourth-year medical students.

LECOM students, from left, are Sulav Shrestha, Tazeen Malik, Katherine Weir, and Elena Myalo.

Medical students train and learn at our Community Health Centers

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education are privileged to serve as a training and educational site for medical students thanks to a strong partnership with A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA).

ATSU-SOMA students began their clinical rotations on July 31, 2023. Our President and CEO Linda ThomasHemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, welcomed them. The class includes, first row from left, Nahian Bari, Belinda Mensah, Alis Louviere, and Ufaira Shaik; second row, Dr. ThomasHemak, Summer Marsh, Glenn Sicari, Nicholas Sengbush, Ceilia Severini, Jacquelyn Berman, Isabela Bello-Zap, and Erin McFadden, M.D., deputy chief medical officer, medical director, The Wright Center for Community

Health Scranton Practice and Scranton Counseling Center, and dean of undergraduate medical and interprofessional education.

Program trains interprofessional health workforce of tomorrow

The second cohort of students from the Central Coast Physician Assistant Program (CCPAP) arrived in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in September 2023 to begin the clinical phase of their training at The Wright Center for Community Health.

We are a learning and training facility for master’s degree-level students enrolled in the CCPAP, thanks to A.T. Still University partnering with the National Association of Community Health Centers.

The students from California, Connecticut, Nevada, and New York began their supervised clinical practice experiences in October. Participants in the 24-month program attend ATSU Santa Maria in California for one year during their pre-clinical phase, followed by a 35-week clinical phase with us or another Community Health Center.

Leadership and members of the cohort include, from left,

Bryan Boyle, MPAS, PA-C, regional director of physician assistant education, A.T. Still University Central Coast Physician Assistant Program (ATSU-CCPAP); Karisma Melwani; Armin Radoncic; Jacqueline Vo; Ivan M. Rosas; Azeezat Jolaoso-Perry; and Angelo Brutico, MPAS, PA-C, regional director of physician assistant education, ATSU-CCPAP.

Regional Family Medicine Residency Program welcomes new

program director

Stephanie A. Gill, M.D., MPH, is our new program director of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Regional Family Medicine Residency Program.

Stephanie A. Gill, M.D., MPH, was appointed program director of our Regional Family Medicine Residency Program in March 2024, an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educationaccredited program.

A board-certified family medicine physician, Dr. Gill is a Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, native and a graduate of Northwest Area High School. She has been part of our residency program’s faculty since 2022, serving as a physician and associate program director. She also provides whole-person primary health services

to patients of all ages at our emerging Health City Hub at our Wilkes-Barre Health Center.

As program director, Dr. Gill oversees both the clinical and administrative aspects of the Family Medicine Residency’s educational program.

Before joining us, Dr. Gill worked as an attending physician at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and served as an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine.

Dr. Gill holds a degree from Penn State University and earned her Doctor of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She completed her family medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s St. Margaret Hospital, followed by a fellowship in faculty development and a multidisciplinary master’s degree in public health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Deputy chief operating officer exemplifies value of nurse leaders

As Marianne Linko, licensed practical nurse, can tell you, anyone who gets employed as a nurse at The Wright Center for Community Health also gets a second, unofficial job title: Leader.

“Nurses are automatically put into a leadership role when they start here,” said Linko. “They help to oversee our Medical Assistants. They are the ones everyone goes to with questions, whether it’s the front desk staff, our clinicians, our residents, or our students.

“And as you experience and develop that leadership, it gives you a foundation to advance your career at The Wright Center.”

Linko speaks from experience. In July 2023, she was promoted to deputy chief operating officer (COO) and licensed practical nurse care coordinator. She serves as part of our health center’s operations team, collaborating with fellow Deputy COO Kathleen Barry and Chief Operating Officer Colleen Dougherty, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC.

The new role represents Linko’s latest career step in an impactful, nearly 13-year tenure with our organization.

The Scranton, Pennsylvania, native realized as a teenager she was drawn to the nursing field. She was among several family members to care for her grandfather after he had a

stroke, often advocating for him and his wife as they aged and navigated the health care system.

She earned her licensed practical nurse certification at the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County and two years later, joined our Mid Valley Health Center. She was deeply involved as our health center in Jermyn expanded from what’s affectionately recalled as the “little blue house” to today’s full-service primary and preventive services health center.

Marianne Linko, LPN, is a deputy chief operating officer and licensed practical nurse care coordinator.

& A

‘That

vision I have for helping people’

Vice president and chief clinical operating officer and director of certified registered nurse practitioner and physician assistant services rises through the ranks with emphasis on patient care

For Colleen Dougherty, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, a career in nursing has always been a calling. Her deep focus on patient care and her leadership talent helped to prepare her for the role she accepted in July 2023: vice president and chief clinical operating officer and director of certified registered nurse practitioner and physician assistant services of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education.

For six years, Dougherty has cared for our patients as a member of various care teams while increasing her responsibilities to our nonprofit enterprise. Learn more about her career in this special Question & Answer feature:

Q: What inspired you to become a nurse?

A: I have always been interested in nursing; I wanted to help people. Everybody says that, but when I had my son at 18, I was inspired by the nurses in labor and delivery and how phenomenal they were. So that became my goal. I went to Penn State to get my associate degree in nursing, and I graduated in 2001.

Q: Then what happened?

A: I initially wanted to work in labor and delivery, but in my last rotation in nursing school, I was assigned to the intensive care unit. I was in awe of the nurses’ brilliance in managing those critical patients. I decided that’s what I wanted to focus on. I started work in August 2001 at Community Medical Center’s ICU in Scranton. I loved every minute of it for the almost four years I was there.

At the same time, I was working on getting my bachelor’s degree. It took me a long time, taking a class here and there. My kids were small, so I was working full time and caring for them, too. When I was starting, I worked the night shift. My daughter was 2 then, and my son was 6, so I’d get home and immediately make breakfast, get them to school, and then try to get in the mindset to sleep. I was getting four hours of sleep before I had to pick them up from school.

Q: What made you stick with it?

A: I love challenges. I always have. When somebody tells me I can’t do something or that something is impossible, I like to try to prove them wrong. I like getting to my goal and doing my best.

I pursued a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Penn State Scranton. At the time, I was at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital as an emergency room nurse, and I wanted to do more for patients. I was seeing patients come in, and their health conditions were not well managed. Their blood pressure was high, their diabetes was not well managed, or their chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was being exacerbated. They needed to be admitted to the hospital. These patients needed help, and I wanted to be able to do more for them.

So, from 2014 to 2017, I strictly focused on getting my master’s degree in nursing as a family nurse practitioner at The University of Scranton. I worked in the ER at Wilkes-Barre General the whole time. After a few years off from school, I decided to return and get my doctorate, just as a personal goal. I graduated with a doctor of nursing practice degree in May 2022.

Q: How did you end up joining The Wright Center?

A: I graduated with a Master of Science in nursing in 2017. A friend who was working here at the time mentioned The Wright Center. I was aware of The Wright Center but did not know all that it had to offer. When I started to really look into it, it really piqued my interest.

The interview was really intense. Seven people were either there in the room or on Zoom, including Chief Medical and Information Officer Dr. Jignesh Sheth and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. William Dempsey interviewing me. I thought, what am I getting myself into? They offered me the job as a certified nurse practitioner. I went between our Clarks Summit and Mid

Valley locations for a while and ended up at Mid Valley full time.

Q: What were some of your initial goals for that role?

A: I was taking care of patients, giving them the proper care that they needed, and making sure their chronic conditions were well managed. So much of our job is listening and making sure patients’ needs are being met, getting the follow-ups they need, and providing the specialty care they need.

It’s a team effort. There’s a lot of follow-up and making sure everyone is collaborating, especially when it comes to chronic care management. We have a high geriatric population, and we need to make sure they’re not falling through the cracks. We have a really good team at The Wright Center, so it works.

Q: How did your role at The Wright Center evolve into the role you are in now?

A: I had several discussions with our President and CEO, Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, and she wanted me to take that next step. She knew how I cared for patients, and she thought I’d bring that to whatever position I was in

It’s difficult to balance patient care with administrative duties sometimes. It’s a team effort. I work closely with (Deputy Chief Operating Officers) Kathleen Barry and Marianne Linko (who also serves as an LPN Care Coordinator). They’re both brilliant, and it’s a pleasure to work with them and learn from them. I feel very lucky to be a part of our team.

Q: What are some of your main roles in this new job?

A: It’s not always the traditional COO role that you would think. I worry about daily operations and ensuring all our service lines are fully operational. Right now, we’re in the process of expanding our nutrition services line, making sure we can branch out while being sustainable. I’d love to see a nutritionist or a registered dietitian in every clinic.

Also, even before I took on this role, I was revamping our mental health screenings. It’s something really important to me, and after we updated

them, I went around to the clinics to make sure providers were using them. I realized that handing the patient a piece of paper to fill out might be a bit easier for them instead of coming out and saying, ‘I’m feeling very depressed or anxious.’ They hope their provider looks at that paper and asks them about it. Then, it’s out in the open, and the conversation can start.

Something that’s on my plate right now is an expansion of our service lines. I’m working with a lot of different departments and collaborating on the expansion of our dental and behavioral health services in Wilkes-Barre. Another huge undertaking is looking at where our next location will be. There’s a needs assessment underway to look at branching out. We’re seeing what the needs are.

Q: As you get into your second decade as a nurse, what are some of your goals?

A: Honestly, I want to keep taking care of people. The biggest thing that I love is being an advocate for patients. Some people don’t have that voice, or they need help. I’ve advanced my career because of my vision for helping people.

I enjoy what The Wright Center is doing for our communities, and I want to help us branch out and make

Colleen Dougherty, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, was promoted to vice president and chief clinical operating officer and director of certified registered nurse practitioner and physician assistant services at The Wright Center.

From doubt to dedication

Gerard J. Geoffroy’s transformative journey with The Wright Center

When Gerard J. Geoffroy, M.S., MPA, joined The Wright Center for Community Health’s Board of Directors in 2010, changing the world was not on his mind. As a newcomer to nonprofit governance, he questioned whether he even belonged.

“There was a conversation going on with a lot of medical terms and acronyms,” he recalled. “I didn’t understand what they were talking about. And I said to myself, ‘I am way out of my league here.’”

He contemplated stepping down but decided to persevere. That decision proved to be transformative – not only for himself but for The Wright Center, our patients, families, and the communities we proudly serve.

Since then, Geoffroy has poured his heart into The Wright Center, where he has been a patient for more than 20 years. His passion for health care was ignited while caring for his wife, Anne, during her illness before she passed away in 2013.

As a faithful board member, he has ardently advocated for high-quality health care, community health centers, and patients’ rights. His volunteer efforts on our behalf and to better our communities have been impactful, expanding access to primary and preventive health

services in our region and improving people’s lives.

Geoffroy has traveled to meet with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., Harrisburg, and halls of power across our country to champion funding and support for community health centers, which, like us, provide whole-person primary health services to patients of all ages, regardless of ethnic background, ZIP code, insurance status, or ability to pay.

“Having worked at making sure my close relatives got the high-quality care that they needed grew into a passion to ensure that for every American,” he said.

“Everyone deserves it.

“Everyone!” he stressed.

His dedication over the past 14 years is highlighted by his extensive volunteer service, including membership on 13 board committees for The Wright Center at one time. He has also held the position of board chair for both The Wright Centers for Community Health and the Patient & Community Engagement Boards of Directors, the latter of which he was the founding chair.

At the end of the 2023-24 academic year, Geoffroy, poised to become the immediate past chair, formally passed the gavel to Vice Chair Deborah Kolsovsky,

Gerard J. Geoffroy is a volunteer board member for both The Wright Center for Community Health and The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement.

executive vice president and managing director of PNC Institutional Asset Management, who will succeed him as the new chair of The Wright Center for Community Health Board.

Geoffroy’s involvement with our governing bodies has coincided with the health center’s major growth.

He helped as we transitioned from a physician-led board to a governing board made up of community members, many of whom are health center patients from all walks of life. In turn, that allowed us to achieve designation in 2019 as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and subsequently benefit from additional federal expertise and resources.

We now operate a growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties, plus a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health.

“From the moment Gerard joined our board, you could sense how his thoughtful and able leadership would force multiply The Wright Center’s delivery of its powerful mission to improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired and competent workforce that is privileged to serve,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, our president and CEO. “He continuously works with his board colleagues and executive leadership to build a preferred future in which everyone will benefit from a health system that prioritizes access, equity, quality, safety, and affordability of comprehensive whole-person primary health services and career opportunities.”

Geoffroy’s passion for advocacy was stoked through participation in the National Association of Community Health Centers’ Annual Policy & Issues Forum, which he first attended in 2016. His engagement prompted and supported our recognition as a Gold Advocacy Center of Excellence in 2022.

He is also devoted to recruiting new board members: perhaps individuals who, much like him, at first might doubt if they are right for the role and have meaningful contributions to make.

“There is a learning curve,” he said. “But patients do have something to offer the board, and the board will be enriched by your presence and meaningful contributions.”

“

Having worked at making sure my close relatives got the high-quality care that they needed grew into a passion to ensure that for every American.”

– Gerard J. Geoffroy, M.S., MPA Chair of The Wright Center for Community Health and the Immediate Past Chair, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement

The Wright Center presented a special plaque to Gerard J. Geoffroy, M.S., MPA, at the Annual Boards of Directors’ Meeting on June 21, 2024, recognizing his tenure as chair of both The Wright Centers for Community Health and Patient & Community Engagement Boards of Directors. From left, are Jennifer Walsh, Esquire, senior vice president of corporate integrity, compliance, and legal services and chief governance officer; Deborah Kolsovsky, incoming chair, The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors; Geoffroy; Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, president and CEO; and Helayna Szescila, deputy chief governance officer.

WE WANT YOU

The Wright Center for Community Health is seeking volunteer board members

Would you like an opportunity to make a difference in your community? We have opportunities available for patients to voluntarily serve on The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors. The board represents patients, just like you.

For more information or to apply

Advocate of the Year

President and CEO receives award for supporting A.T. Still University’s Hometown Scholars Program

Our President and CEO Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, far right, receives the award, from left, Gary L. Cloud, Ph.D., MBA, vice president of university partnerships, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona; Kyu Rhee, M.D., MPP, president and CEO, National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC); and Thomas Curtin, M.D., former chief clinical officer, NACHC.

Our President and CEO Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, received the Hometown Scholars Advocate of the Year Award in February 2024 in recognition of her passionate, mission-driven efforts to identify and mentor future Physicians, Dentists, Physician Assistants, and other health care professionals who are from our region.

The award was presented to her during a clinical practice committee meeting at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C.

The Hometown Scholars Program identifies and recruits individuals from areas served by Community Health Centers to pursue health care professional degrees and become community-

minded healers who are inclined to return to work in those or similar medically underserved communities in the United States.

“The National Association of Community Health Centers and A.T. Still University have a strategy to dare children to dream, mentor them along their pathway into the health professions, and endorse those with the heart to return and work in underserved communities,” said Gary L. Cloud, Ph.D., MBA, vice president of university partnerships at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona. “Dr. Thomas-Hemak and The Wright Center have been exemplary supporters of that strategy, encouraging community members, patients, and employees to participate and serve as role models for aspiring healers.”

At participating Community Health Centers, leaders are encouraged to intentionally identify and nominate qualified and motivated candidates from their communities, providing each with a letter of support. This endorsement, in turn, may give candidates advanced applicant consideration when applying to medical school or dental school at A.T. Still University’s programs in Arizona or its physician assistant program in California.

“It’s been a privilege for me, on behalf of The Wright Center for Community Health, to nominate individuals from Northeast Pennsylvania to be our health center’s endorsed Hometown Scholars,” said Dr. Thomas-Hemak. “Because of the Hometown Scholars Program, we’ve been able to identify and mentor aspiring Physicians, Dentists, and Physician Assistants from the communities we serve and help them pursue their professional goals. Such pipeline programs promote health care career access equity, improve concordance of the workforce and population served, and restore our community’s public health-minded health care workforce.

“I’m particularly pleased that several of The Wright Centerendorsed scholars are women for whom this program has provided real opportunities.”

Our top executive receives 2023 Pennsylvania Impact Award

A multimedia news organization presented our President and CEO Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, with a Pennsylvania Impact Award in December 2023, recognizing her leadership in social responsibility.

Dr. Thomas-Hemak was one of 75 honorees to be chosen by City & State Pennsylvania. Other influential difference-makers who were honored included Pennsylvania State Senator Lisa M. Boscola, Associate

Professor Teresa Hunter-Pettersen, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine; and President Jessica Ritchie, UPMC Pinnacle Foundation.

The Pennsylvania Impact Awards honor residents “who are pillars of sustainability, diversity and inclusion, charity, and community engagement,” according to City & State Pennsylvania, known for its coverage of the Keystone State’s business, political, and community leaders.

Pioneer, ideator, and communicator

Ebersole brushes aside career in politics to reshape the national landscape for primary care delivery and interprofessional workforce development

A mix-up over a name launched Brian Ebersole’s career as a health care pioneer and ideator.

As a child, Ebersole dreamed of becoming president of the United States, even dressing up in a suit, tie, and elephant pin to celebrate the presidential inauguration in January 1989. He went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science at Ursinus College. When he wasn’t in class, he worked as a lobbyist for the National Biodiesel Board in Washington, D.C.

After college, he applied for a job with the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. So did another Brian Ebersole.

“They hired the wrong person and didn’t realize it until the other gentleman showed up for his first day,” said Ebersole, a resident of Old Forge, Pennsylvania. “They felt bad, so they asked if I would be interested in something over in the governor’s administration. That’s how I started as a legislative assistant in the state Health Department.”

Twenty-four years later, Ebersole serves as our vice president of academic affairs and associate designated institutional official. From his work with the Pennsylvania government to his involvement in launching gamechanging health care innovations for The Wright Center and Geisinger Health System, he has always relished creating a path forward to a preferred future.

“I am driven by the opportunity to come in at the ground level of something,” Ebersole said. “There’s the chance to mold and shape how something will develop, evolve, and ultimately succeed.”

After an unorthodox beginning, Ebersole served in several state government roles, eventually landing a job as a special assistant to Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Calvin Johnson and then joining the Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform. In 2008, he became the director of Pennsylvania’s Chronic Care Initiative, which focused on improving the care of patients with chronic diseases by helping primary care practices implement the National Committee for Quality Assurance PatientCentered Medical Home model.

The initiative became the largest medical home model in our country, boasting more than 170 medical clinics and 780 providers as members and touching the lives of more

than a million patients. It also introduced him to Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, the president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education.

At a conference, Dr. Thomas-Hemak told Ebersole she was working to align The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education with a new federal initiative: the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program, created under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 to promote the primary care physician workforce American needs.

Brian Ebersole is vice president of academic affairs and associate designated institutional official at The Wright Center.

As he traveled throughout the state to recruit for the Chronic Care Initiative and lead learning collaboratives, Ebersole gained a deeper understanding of the challenges patients and providers face.

“I realized if we were going to change health care as a whole, we needed to do something different, starting with the education of doctors,” he said. “So when Dr. Thomas-Hemak shared with me that she was working on the Teaching Health Center idea, I said, ‘If you need someone to help, give me a call.’”

the small clinic housed in what many Wright Center officials call “the little blue house” into a patientcentered medical home that emphasized the roles of Physicians and students in training.

Around the same time, Ebersole was rethinking his political aspirations. The legislator in his Perry County hometown was firmly entrenched, which Ebersole realized would make it difficult to wage a successful campaign as a political newcomer. He put his political aspirations on hold and, in May 2011, joined The Wright Center as the education and community relevance leader.

“Brian has a deep understanding of and a passionate commitment to addressing the challenges related to our pioneering improvement efforts in the delivery of responsive and inclusive whole-person primary health services and physician and interprofessional health workforce development,” said Dr. Thomas-Hemak. “A true innovator and primary care and public health enthusiast, his sights are set on developing a healthier, more effective, more equitable, and more affordable future for health care and medical education in our local communities and our country.”

In 2011, we were one of the initial 11 Teaching Health Centers in the country to receive funding through the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program. One of Ebersole’s early initiatives focused on helping us navigate the complexities of this new federal program. Today, The Wright Center is one of the largest HRSA-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Consortiums in the United States.

Around the same time, Ebersole turned his attention to our primary care Community Health Center in Mid Valley. He helped guide plans to turn

“The new Teaching Health Center in Mid Valley was the opportunity to create a showcase for primary-carefocused medical education,” he said. “There was space for faculty and residents to interact, as well as room for specialists to come in and offer services. It became a whole-person health center before that concept became a buzzword.”

The Teaching Health Center in Mid Valley and eight other brick-and-mortar Community Health Centers we have established since illustrate the inextricable link between community health, medical education, and the actualization of our mission.

“They should never be disconnected,” Ebersole said. “If you’re going to provide optimal care, it will likely be done because you are challenged by having learners with you, keeping you energized and on top of your game.”

Ebersole also played a significant role in designing our National Family Medicine Residency (NFMR) Program, a unique program that utilized training sites nationwide to address the primary care physician workforce shortage, misdistribution, and related health, health care, and health care career disparities. He credits Dr. ThomasHemak with pushing him and other project partners to think bigger as they worked to get the program running.

“We had this original core group of partners, and I said, ‘Let’s go with two to start,’” Ebersole said. “And Dr. Thomas said, ‘No, we need to go big,’ and we ended up with six health centers that were interested and ready to be a part of our initial application for accreditation funding.”

Ebersole laughed, recalling the long work days, crosscountry traveling, and frantic research he and others involved in the project did to earn accreditation, write the curriculum, and organize the program that initially included sites in Arizona, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Washington.

“We just did what we needed to do,” he said. “The value of The Wright Center is that we’re willing to create the opportunities and then lean into implementing them while always learning.”

As Ebersole continued to rack up successes – including obtaining federal grant money to support 14 school-based health centers in four Lackawanna County school districts and making progress on our application to become a

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Legacy leader rejoins The Wright Center

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Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike – he began to think about what comes next.

“I wanted to look at the health of people and what could be done to make individuals healthier,” he said. “How can you organize all the various and diverse stakeholders and address basic needs like food, transportation, housing?”

Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation.

“It was like someone reached into my chest and pulled out my heart,” he said about hearing the news. “So much work had gone into the pioneering program over the years.”

It was around this time that Ebersole put his White House dreams and political aspirations aside. As politics became more divisive in the mid-2010s, he found it difficult to see himself serving in that realm when there were other venues for contribution and lasting impact.

He accepted a job as the senior director of health innovations at Geisinger Health System in October 2017. For the next six years, he headed several initiatives that directly addressed patient health and the socioeconomic determinants of health.

Those projects include Springboard Health, a program first piloted in Scranton, Pennsylvania, that sought to improve the well-being of entire communities; the social care app Neighborly, which connects users with free or reduced-cost services across the state; and the Fresh Food Farmacy, which eliminates barriers to healthier living through a medical home model for patients and a food pantry.

“I was also on the team that expanded Geisinger’s Medicaid footprint to every county in Pennsylvania,” Ebersole said. “It was another opportunity to be on the ground level of things, to figure out the potential, take advantage of the design phase, pursue innovations, and demonstrate the value for the community.”

Then, in late 2023, Ebersole received a call from Dr. Thomas-Hemak: NFMR had lost its Accreditation

While obstacles had existed since we launched the NFMR Program in 2013 – two sites left the partnership, the accrediting agency changed, and federal funding temporarily decreased – Ebersole said the program was producing the intended outcomes. The program’s fiveyear rolling pass rate for the osteopathic board is 100% on the first attempt. The program’s overall graduate retention rate averages 31% at the host site, with 54% of all program graduates practicing in a Community Health Center or underserved area.

Overall, nearly 1,050 residents and fellows have graduated from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education since it was founded in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program.

Again, Ebersole faced a crossroads. With Geisinger’s announcement about a potential partnership with health care giant Kaiser Permanente, creating Risant Health, he already intended to go out on his own as a health care consultant. Fortunately, Ebersole rejoined The Wright Center, focusing on administrative, educational, institutional, and programmatic leadership across all educational venues, partnerships, and new educational initiatives.

In addition to helping guide the NFMR Program’s future, Ebersole will play a significant role as we explore new residency programs in Pediatric Dentistry, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology – to name a few. He is also focusing on ways to recognize our contributions to improving primary care delivery and interprofessional health workforce development ahead of our 50th anniversary in 2026, and helping to define and implement the big ideas that will carry us through the next 50 years.

“I think that includes evolving our existing partnerships and thinking about who our partners are for the future, as they may not be the ones we’re used to,” Ebersole said. “There’s also more that needs to be done around mission delivery, what I refer to as organizational intent, development, and relevance.”

Brian Ebersole and President and CEO Linda ThomasHemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, donned their blues and greens for National Donate Life Blue & Green Day in April 2024.

Board-certified obesity medicine Physicians

Milos Babic, M.D.

Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP

Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP

Nirali Patel, M.D.

Kristina Tanovic, M.D., FACP

Manju Mary Thomas, M.D.

Weight loss gives patient newfound freedom

Forest City woman sheds pounds and manages her condition through lifestyle medicine and obesity medicine service lines

Due to her weight, Julianna Morse limited her life. She wouldn’t get on a bicycle and sometimes didn’t dare to step on a ladder. Even a trip with her children to the amusement park was daunting because of her struggle with obesity.

“Your biggest fear is you sit in the ride, and the safety restraint doesn’t close,” said Morse, who is raising two children.

“Honestly,

“And then you have to get up in front of all these people and get off the ride. Why would I set myself up to be embarrassed and to feel worse?”

official, helps to manage her thyroid levels and focus on maintaining a realistic target weight. She also turns to our care team for nutritional and exercise advice and assistance with other physical and behavioral health issues.

I enjoy coming to The Wright Center.

I

know they’re going to listen to me, and they’re going to help.”

The Forest City resident finally found the weight-loss support she needed at The Wright Center for Community Health – a provider of whole-person primary health services, including obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine.

She is now adjusting to a new normal: about 160 pounds lighter than a few years ago.

For Morse, that means she has been learning to live – after a lifetime of apprehension about her body size – with greater freedom and fewer self-doubts. Her care team, led by Jumee Barooah, M.D., FACP, our senior vice president of education and designated institutional

– Julianna Morse

“Honestly, I enjoy coming to The Wright Center,” she said. “I know they’re going to listen to me, and they’re going to help.”

About three years ago, Morse underwent bariatric surgery – a major procedure in which changes are made to the digestive system to promote weight loss. The decision didn’t come easily or quickly. She spoke with Dr. Barooah about her hesitancy, and her physician stood by her through a few false starts, referring Morse to first one and then another surgeon.

Morse refers to that surgery, which was performed by a Geisinger team, as a “tool,” not a magical cure, for her condition. That’s why she continues to work with our health care providers for physical, emotional, motivational, and nutritional support.

“Weight management is a complicated thing,” said

Our new service lines reshape views on obesity medicine

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Morse. “People will tell you, ‘Oh, just watch what you eat and exercise.’ But it’s not that simple.”

To best serve our patients with obesity-related illnesses, we employ six board-certified obesity medicine Physicians: Drs. Milos Babic, Linda Thomas-Hemak (who is also our president and CEO), Nirali Patel, Kristina Tanovic, Manju Mary Thomas, and Barooah.

“By recognizing obesity as a multifactorial disease,” said Dr. Barooah, “today’s medical professionals are prepared to give patients the facts and the tools they need to take charge of their health and manage their condition.”

By reducing excess body fat, people will see cosmetic and feel physical changes. More importantly, they will be on track to improving their overall wellbeing, reducing the risk for developing chronic health problems.

For children and adolescents with obesity, treatment can improve not only their physical well-being but also their social and emotional development. Obesity puts young people at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and many other serious health issues.

“Through our team-based approach, we try to address all the underlying issues,” said Dr. Manju Mary Thomas, who is dually board-certified in pediatrics and obesity medicine. “It’s beneficial to act early because we realize that children who have obesity are more likely to carry the condition over into adulthood.”

Morse knows all too well the scrutiny and cruelty faced by larger-than-average children. “I’ve always been heavy,” she said.

“When I was in sixth grade, they had me see a nutritionist,” recalled Morse, a Simpson, Pennsylvania, native. “I would write down everything I ate during the week, and then, every Friday, I would meet the nutritionist at the nurse’s office and go over it with her.”

At The Wright Center, Morse began routinely receiving medication in 2014 to control her thyroid. She continues to have her thyroid levels routinely checked.

She resisted the notion of bariatric surgery for a

while, telling herself she should be able to control her weight purely with willpower. Now that she has had the procedure, Morse believes it was the correct option for her – not to imply that it made her life, or even her diet, perfect.

She still needs to be selective about foods and carefully chew each bite to avoid digestive troubles. She began seeing a neurologist for help in controlling migraines. And she continues to cope with body dysmorphia, picturing herself as heavier than she really is.

Our team works closely with Morse, giving her the necessary care for each issue or, for certain matters, referring her to local experts. As Morse sees it, any form of obesity surgery – much like the suddenly popular new weight-loss drugs seen on social media – is only one part of a combination of tactics that must be used together to keep weight in check.

Her condition demands her ongoing attention. After all, she says, “I have 39 years of bad habits that are hard to break.”

Morse has seen and felt major improvements in the past few years because of the treatments and lifestyle changes she has embraced.

“I can work 60 hours a week now and not feel like I got hit by a tractor-trailer,” she said.

Julianna Morse, seen here during phases of her weight-loss journey, has dropped 160 pounds in recent years while getting medical, nutritional, and other support at The Wright Center for Community Health.

New North Scranton Health Center expands our footprint in Northeast Pennsylvania

In July 2023, The Wright Center for Community Health expanded access to whole-person primary health services when it opened a new location at 1721 North Main Avenue in Scranton.

Our new North Scranton Health Center offers a full complement of primary and preventive services, including checkups, physicals, screenings, and treatment of common illnesses and injuries. It also provides addiction and recovery services and other supportive service lines.

The location previously operated as a family practice with Paul Remick, D.O., under Horizon Medical Corporation, until his retirement in June 2023.

Our North Scranton Health Center is open MondayFriday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about this location, call 570.346.8417 or go to TheWrightCenter. org.

We offer access to responsive and inclusive health services for all ages, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, ability to pay, race, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

A Federally Qualified Health Center

Look-Alike with a growing network of Community Health Centers throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties, we provide safety-net, nondiscriminatory, comprehensive whole-person primary health services, including integrated medical, dental, mental and behavioral health, addiction and recovery, and Ryan White HIV services to vulnerable and medically underserved populations.

Our locations in 2023-24:

Clarks Summit 1145 Northern Boulevard Hawley 103 Spruce Street

Jermyn 5 South Washington Avenue

North Pocono 260 Daleville Highway, Suite 103

North Scranton 1721 North Main Avenue

Scranton 501 South Washington Avenue

Scranton Counseling Center 329 Cherry Street

Wilkes-Barre 169 North Pennsylvania Avenue

School-Based Health (Open to the community)

West Scranton Intermediate 1401 Fellows Street

Faith leaders offer ecumenical blessings at Blessing of the Hands ceremony

The Reverend Brian J.T. Clarke, Rabbi Benny Rapoport, and the Reverend Lucas Taylor led a meaningful Blessing of the Hands ceremony at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton’s auditorium in October 2023.

Our clinicians, resident and fellow Physicians, board members, and community friends gathered to receive blessings and prayers. Vocalist Mary Ann Chindemi, R.N., a member of The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors, performed a song while the Reverend Clarke anointed the caregivers’ hands with consecrated holy oil, symbolizing service, strength, and healing. The Reverend Taylor led the participants in prayer.

The Blessing of the Hands tradition, attributed to Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing, is often celebrated near the Feast of St. Luke, who is recognized as both an evangelist and a physician.

The Reverend Brian J.T. Clarke, left, and the Reverend Lucas Taylor, center, bless hands while Mary Ann Chindemi, R.N., a member of The Wright Center for Community Health Board, sings during the program.

Maura Longstreet, MSN, CRNP, FNP-BC Medical Director

During the 2006-07 academic year, our namesake founder, Robert E. Wright, M.D., FACP, posed for a group photo with PGY-1 resident Physicians and members of the Class of 2007 and Class of 2008 at the Scranton-Temple Residency Program. In 2010, the Scranton-Temple Residency Program’s Board of Directors voted to rename the organization in honor of Dr. Wright. Resident Physicians, seated from left, are Thomas Hopkins ’09, D.O.; Chad Walker ’09, D.O.; Glen Digwood ’09, D.O.; Ludy Lukose ’09, M.D.; Pardeep Bansal ’09, M.D.; Indiran Balavinayagam ’09, M.D.; Srinivas Akkaladevi, M.D.; and Prabdoh Rathi ’09, M.D.; standing, Samir Akach ’07, M.D.; Hossam Algamil ’07, M.D.; Manish Chadha ’07, M.D.; Alberto Guana ’08, M.D.; Kasim Kasim ’08, M.D.; Yasser Khalil ’07, M.D.; Shubhra Shetty, M.D., faculty; Dr. Wright; Arjinder Sethi ’05, ’13, M.D.; Jay Vanston, M.D., faculty; Haitham Abughnia ’07, ’13, M.D.; Waseem Makhoul ’07, M.D.; and Sunil Musinipally ’07, M.D.

WHO WE ARE

The Wright Center for Community Health is designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care. We are an Essential Community Provider of whole-person, nondiscriminatory safety-net primary medical, dental, mental, and behavioral health services, a Pennsylvania Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence, and a Ryan White HIV/AIDS provider. We operate 10 communitybased primary care teaching health centers throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, inclusive of a public school district’s school-based health center and a mobile medical and dental unit “Driving Better Health.” We are proudly patient- and community-governed in alignment with HRSA requirements for FQHCs that empower the voice of patients and families to ensure that the delivery of services is responsive to the needs of the communities served.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education is one of our nation’s largest HRSA-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums. It is dedicated to training compassionate, highly skilled Physicians in community-immersed health centers and clinical learning networks collectively serving to address our nation’s primary care physician shortage, misdistribution, and related health, health care, and health care careers disparities.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement is a nonprofit subsidiary of The Wright Center for Community Health that complements the enterprise’s mission through patient and community engagement in the delivery, enhancement, and transformation of whole-person primary health services, interprofessional health workforce development, and public health improvement through education, advocacy, and responsive address of the socioeconomic determinants of health that disproportionately affect underserved, vulnerable, and rural communities.

During fiscal year 2024, The Wright Center for Community Health’s (TWCCH) operations were supported by clinical patient service revenues from Medicare and Medicaid programs and private insurance plans, participation in the 340B Drug Program, federal educational resources from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, and direct funding from various federal, state, and local philanthropic agencies. Of the $63.8 million in operating expenses incurred by TWCCH, $52.1 million, or 82%, was supported either directly or indirectly by federal funds.

During fiscal year 2024, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s (TWCGME) operations were supported by direct funding from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and the Veterans Administration, indirect funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services through affiliation agreements with acute and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, and shared savings from the Medicare Shared Savings Program through 10% ownership of the Keystone Accountable Care Organization. Of the $47.6 million in operating expenses incurred by TWCGME, $40.1 million, or 84%, was supported either directly or indirectly by federal funds.

GRANTS & AID

(July 1, 2023- June 30, 2024)

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education received a combination of private, local, state, and federal grants to support our mission-driven work during the 2023-24 fiscal year. The $29.5* million received in critical grant funding was deployed to improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

*Unaudited

CLINICAL SUPPORT SERVICES

United Way of Wyoming Valley: To support the Ryan White Part B HIV and Preventative Services in Northeast Pennsylvania

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration: To support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program’s Part C Early Intervention Services in Northeast Pennsylvania

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration: To support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part F Capacity Building to provide dental services for persons living with HIV/AIDS in Northeast Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Health: To support the startup of The Wright Center for Community Health North Pocono Practice

Pennsylvania School-Based Health Alliance: To support mental health screening, care coordination, and mental health counseling in our School-Based Health Center

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration: To support our Postdoctoral Training in General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentistry and Dental Hygiene for New York University Langone Health’s CODA-Accredited Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program

Upstream USA: To provide training and technical assistance to help our clinical staff adopt best practices related to contraceptive care

GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration:

• Teaching Health Center Graduate

Medical Education: To support residency and fellowship programs, including Regional Family Medicine, National Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Geriatrics

• Primary Care Training and Enhancement: To support Family Medicine Residency training in mental and behavioral health

• Primary Care Training and Enhancement: To support Internal Medicine Residency training for patients with limited English proficiency and individuals with physical and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities

• Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program: To support the development of new residency programs in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Pediatric Dentistry (Scranton, Pennsylvania), and Family Medicine (Brooklyn, New York.)

• Rural Residency Planning and Development Program: To support the development of a Rural Family Medicine Residency Program in Wayne County, Pennsylvania

American Medical Association: To participate in the ChangeMedEd Consortium using data analysis and artificial intelligence to focus on primary care residency training and patient outcomes in a Teaching Health Center

COVID-19 FUNDING

City of Scranton & Scranton Area Community Foundation: To support the implementation of a Community Health Center focused and centralized COVID-19 data reporting and analytics solution

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration: To support the Expanding COVID-19 Vaccination (ECV) Program for our Community Health Centers

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Association of Community Health Centers/National Health Care for the Homeless Council: To reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for persons experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder in Northeast Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development: To address vaccine hesitancy via education and marketing of COVID-19 vaccines and testing directed to vulnerable populations in Northeast Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics: To address vaccine hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in Northeast Pennsylvania communities disproportionately affected by the virus

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: To expand the outreach of our mobile medical unit to increase access to health services in medically underserved communities in Northeast Pennsylvania, and to provide culturally competent programs, including Sanctuary Institute training for our enterprise

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers: To increase access to COVID-19 testing and preventive services for vulnerable populations in Northeast Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers: To support a vaccine administration management system for our North Pocono Practice

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers: To reduce hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters and to increase the number of trained Medical Assistants in Northeast Pennsylvania

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GRANTS & AID (July

1, 2023- June 30, 2024)

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers: To reduce the hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters and for a COVID-19 marketing campaign across Northeast Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers: To address vaccine hesitancy through patient education and engagement, communication of vaccination opportunities, and community outreach in Northeast Pennsylvania

HRSA Bridge Access Program: To support Community Health Centers to maintain COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and enabling services to underserved populations in Northeast Pennsylvania

RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES

Appalachian Regional Commission Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative: To implement workforce expansion via training-to-employment opportunities for people in recovery from substance use disorder

A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona: To support the integration of primary care with behavioral and mental health services for whole-person care delivery within our Community Health Centers

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration: To support Healthy MOMS programming via the Rural Communities Opioid Response ProgramNeonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Pennsylvania Department of Health/ Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers’ Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (HRSA Title V Funding): To support increasing access to health care for children with special health care needs in our Community Health Centers

Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs: To provide pregnancy support services and outreach through our Healthy MOMS Program for pregnant and postpartum women struggling with opioid use disorder

Pennsylvania Chapter, American

Academy of Pediatrics: To improve breastfeeding initiation and duration rates for women enrolled in our Healthy MOMS Program

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Association of Community Health Centers/National Health Care for the Homeless Council/ Fenway Institute: To support evidence-based learning opportunities addressing disparities among racial, ethnic, and identity-based minorities related to pain management, substance use, and service linkages

Jewish Healthcare Foundation/ Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds/Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: To provide training for doulas and life support certifications to benefit pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder

Jewish Healthcare Foundation/ Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds/Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: To provide a camera system to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with live-streaming video access to a child’s bedside for postpartum moms with opioid use disorder who have children in the NICU

County of Pike, Pennsylvania: To provide Healthy MOMS pregnancy support services for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder in Pike County

COMMUNITY SUPPORT GRANTS

United Way of Wyoming Valley: To support eye exams and corrective lenses for economically disadvantaged students in Luzerne County

American Cancer Society: To enhance cancer prevention and screening navigation for colorectal cancer within our Community Health Centers

Scranton Area Community Foundation: To support child care expenses for women enrolled in Healthy MOMS Program

The Robert H. Spitz Foundation: To address food insecurity and transportation needs for our patients and the community

The Robert H. Spitz Foundation: To support participants in the Healthy MOMS Program who are experiencing financial hardships

City of Scranton American Rescue Plan Act funds: To offset Sanctuary Institute training costs for the frontline workforce to overcome traumatizing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

City of Scranton American Rescue Plan Act funds: To support our enterprise’s focus on harm reduction and long-term recovery support

City of Scranton American Rescue Plan Act funds: To support wellness programming by integrating lifestyle medicine into everyday practice within our Community Health Centers

The Pennsylvania State University: To support Stephanie Gill, M.D., MPH, in the completion of her project for the Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry Clinician Educator Career Development Awards Program

Scranton Area Community Foundation: To assist with flood-related repairs to The Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit Practice, as part of the Lackawanna County Flood Relief Program

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program: To renovate and expand The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice into a primary care Teaching Health Center for our Graduate Medical Education residents

Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation: To address childhood food insecurity in Northeast Pennsylvania during the summer months when schools are closed

GRANT OPERATIONS TEAM

• Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D., SVP, Enterprise Wellness and Resiliency, Assessment, and Advancement, Chief Strategic Research & Development Officer

• Lisa Baumann, MHA, Vice President of Grants and Strategic Initiatives

• Thomas Glaser, MPA, Vice President of Grant Operations and Compliance

• Michael Higgins, Post-Award Grants Manager

• Jennifer Washney, Grants Specialist

Safety-Net Consortium (GME-SNC)

Graduate Medical Education

Safety-Net Consortiums (GME-SNCs)

Academic Health Centers’ (1) (AHCs) hospital-based, specialty-intense spirit of research, discovery, education and patient care delivered humbling medical advances during the Flexner era. Yet progress from discovery to care continuum has been notably slow, with escalating health disparities and increasing workforce shortages and misdistribution. Large-scale industrial changes are disorienting and chaotic; physician burnout is at an all-time high. Despite being an intensely change-averse industry, capitalistic forces are decentralizing healthcare, generating community-driven, innovative solutions for high performance and solvency.

Responds to Community Health Needs

The community-based Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium (GME-SNC) is inspired by Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Teaching Health Center program (THCGME). Built on a framework similar to Nasca et al’s proposed Community Health-Academic Medical Partnerships (CHAMPS)2, the GME-SNC immerses trainees in community settings where they’re most needed and increases likelihood of graduates working in such settings.3

Upholds Public Trust

The GME-SNC promotes value-based payment reform strategies that o en redirect hospital utilization to more appropriate, a ordable community-based venues. Transparency is ensured by standardized reporting methodologies that harness evolving health information and educational technologies to develop and demonstrate workforce competencies, ensure stewardship of public GME funds to meet highest federal reporting standards, and to monitor and improve population health outcomes. Patient-Centered Outcomes

Leverages Learning

Physician-led teams’ value-driven workflow redesign in a scholarly culture leverages learners as clinical system improvers. Empowered patients and families make meaningful contributions to enhance care delivery and development of comprehensive workforce skills. The GME-SNC demonstrates administrative and operational e iciency with consortium scheduling and time tracking across cost centers and a robust quality improvement management system stimulating learner-driven improvements.

Optimizes

Educational Capacity GME payment methodologies vary substantially between Veterans A airs (VA), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and HRSA. The GME-SNC deliberately converges VA, CMS, and HRSA GME resources within one centralized sponsoring institution to fund cohesive educational operations, clarifing clinical and non-clinical faculty time, and trainees’ integration into patient care delivery.

Represents Faculty, Residents, and Students

The GME-SNC model is an effective, replicable, and scalable model energized by an inclusive mentality of “achievable by all” that spreads an exciting “we can do more together” culture within essential community provider primary health services with integrated workforce development platforms nationally.

The GME-SNC nurtures an enriched community network of learning venues to improve care coordination and public health while well-preparing an inter-professional workforce. AHCs’ self-directed transformation, through engagement in GME-SNCs as backbone organizations, can lead a fix for America’s healthcare. The GME-SNC can inspire high integrity academic frameworks to build comprehensive networks of inclusive stakeholders aligned around shared purpose and mutually reinforcing action plans. Utilizing Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s seven leverage points and high impact leadership models, the GME-SNC catalyzes large-scale healthcare transformation to address national healthcare work force needs, to actuate the Triple Aim and to refuel meaningful professional practice 4

1. Christianson CM, Bohmer R, Kenagy J. Will disruptive innovations cure health care? Harvard Business Review, Sept-Oct 2000: 103-111.; 2. Mullan F, Chen C, Petterson S, Kolsky G, Spagnola M. The social mission of medical education: ranking the schools. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:804-11. [PMID:20547907]; 3. Rieselbach RE, Feldstein DA, Lee PT, Nasca TJ, Rockey PH, Steinmann AF, et al. Ambulatory training for primary care general internists: innovation with the a ordable care act in mind. J Grad Med Educ. 2014;6(2):395–398 4. Ruddy MP, Thomas-Hemak L, Meade L. Practice

Operational Transparency Title-Funded Services