GME’s National Family Medicine Residency Program Offers ‘Innovations in Community Care’

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A Virtual Series that Addresses Innovative Health Care for Underserved Populations

Scranton, Pa. (Oct. 8, 2021) – The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education is offering the nine-week video series, “Innovations in Community Care: A Virtual Series,” on The Wright Center for Community Health’s YouTube channel. 

The informative series includes brief talks about topics in community medicine and how faculty and residents in a family medicine residency program provide innovative, high-quality care to underserved populations in communities they serve. The series’ playlist can be found here.

The series was produced under the guidance of Lawrence LeBeau, D.O., national family medicine residency program director at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. The presentation and discussion series was organized by faculty in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s National Family Medicine Residency Program’s affiliated community health center partners: El Rio Health, Tucson, Arizona; Unity Health Care, Washington, D.C.; HealthSource of Ohio, Hillsboro, Ohio, and HealthPoint, Auburn, Washington.

The topics include: 

  • “Value of POCUS in Low-Resource Settings,” with Andrew Will Dixon, M.D., and James Huang, M.D.;
  • “Innovative Approaches to Refugee Health Care in the FQHC Setting,” presented by Dr. Shoshana Aleinikoff, M.D.;
  • “FQHC-Hospital Partnership,” with Tara Simpson, M.D.; 
  • “Lifestyle Management through Group Visits,” presented by Darlene Lawrence, M.D.: 
  • “Asylum Evaluations,” with Andrew Will Dixon, M.D., and Catherine Njiru-Sewer, D.O.;
  • “Low Barrier Care Model for People with Substance Use Disorders,” presented by Nathan Kittle, M.D., and Cara Dalbey, Psy.D.;
  • “Medicine for the Incarcerated,” with Eleni O’Donovan, M.D., and Khalid Ebrahim, M.D.;
  • “Medicine for the Unhoused,” presented by Andrew Will Dixon, M.D., and Anam Whyne, D.O.;
  • “Osteopathic Practice in the FQHC Setting,” with Gayatri Menon, D.O.

The Wright Center Receives Grant to Support Mothers Enrolled in Healthy MOMS Program

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Scranton, Pa. (Oct. 8, 2021) – The Wright Center for Community Health was recently awarded nearly $600,000 in federal grant funding to combat the ongoing opioid crisis by supplying addiction treatment and related services to pregnant women and new mothers who cope with substance use disorder.

The grant will support women living in recovery in Northeast Pennsylvania who are active in the region’s Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support program (Healthy MOMS), which The Wright Center for Community Health co-founded with its community partners nearly three years ago.

More than 115 mothers and their children are currently helped by the collaborative Healthy MOMS program, which relies on dozens of health care organizations, government agencies and nonprofit groups to extend services across a multicounty territory.

Maria Kolcharno, director of Addiction Services at The Wright Center for Community Health

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs will administer the grant funding that was made available to states by the federal government, specifically through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It is intended “to improve outcomes for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder,” according to Gov. Tom Wolf’s office.

The Wright Center is one of 12 organizations in Pennsylvania to receive funding during the grant distribution process to expand access to pregnancy support services. Those services include postpartum health care, mental health care, nutrition education, employment readiness, childcare, life skills training and linkages to appropriate treatment programs, including medication-assisted treatment. One aim of the grant-funded project will be to extend supportive services to more women in southern Luzerne and Schuylkill counties.

“We’re extremely grateful to be the recipient of funding that will enable us to help additional mothers and their families across our region,” said Maria Kolcharno, director of Addiction Services at The Wright Center for Community Health. “These moms essentially face a triple challenge today: caring for babies, maintaining sobriety and emotionally pushing through the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a lot to ask of anyone, especially women who because of their past substance use might be alienated from a support network of family and friends.”

Among public health officials, pregnant women who use substances are deemed a priority population to receive recovery services, because both they and their unborn babies are especially vulnerable. The COVID-19 pandemic seemingly has made the situation even more fragile for certain people living in recovery and triggered a spike in substance misuse, as reflected in increased rates of relapse and drug overdose. Pennsylvania, for example, experienced a 14-percent increase in drug overdose deaths in 2020 compared to the prior year, according to preliminary data released this summer by the state Department of Health.

The latest grants are part of $55 million in federal funding awarded to Pennsylvania through the SAMHSA Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental Awards.

Announced in early October, the $598,644 award made to The Wright Center will allow the Healthy MOMS program to further serve women and their children in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.A collaborative venture from the start, the Healthy MOMS program would not be an effective project without the substantial and sustained contributions of its dozens of community partners. Information about the project and its partners is available at this website: healthymoms.org. Learn more about the Healthy MOMS program by calling 570-995-7821 or texting healthymoms to 555888.

The Wright Center for Community Health at Carbondale Farmers Market to Share Seasonal Fun and Information About Health Care Services

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Scranton, Pa. (Oct. 7, 2021) – The Wright Center for Community Health will present a series of children’s activities for the fall season and offer important information about the services offered by the regional health care provider on Thursday, Oct. 21 from 2-5:30 p.m. at the Carbondale Farmers Market, 185 Fallbrook St.

The Wright Center for Community Health will set up its information and activities table in the Fallbrook Healthy Aging Center. A pumpkin painting activity will be provided to all children that attend the market. Market shoppers will also receive free merchandise and information about health care services.

“The Carbondale Farmers Market is a perfect opportunity for The Wright Center to engage with community members of all ages and reinforce the health care services we provide at eight regional clinics,” said Allision LaRussa, the director of health humanities at The Wright Center. “We will be creative with our pumpkins and other crafts, while highlighting the important role art can play in our daily lives.”

The Wright Center for Community Health also participated in the grand opening of the farmers market in September. The market is open year-round on Thursdays.

Allision LaRussa, director of health humanities at The Wright Center

The Wright Center for Community Health Welcomes New Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners

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Scranton, Pa. (Oct. 7, 2021) – Two certified registered nurse practitioners with diverse experience in general nursing and acute patient care have joined The Wright Center for Community Health to provide primary and preventive care to people of all ages.

Greentown resident Allison Miller, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., F.N.P.-C., joins The Wright Center’s primary care practice in Wayne County at 103 Spruce St., Hawley. She earned her master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees in nursing from The Pennsylvania State University. Miller is a board-certified registered family nurse practitioner and a member of the Emergency Nurses Association. Prior to joining The Wright Center, she worked as an education liaison for Regional Hospital of Scranton and as an emergency department nurse for Moses Taylor Hospital.

At The Wright Center, Miller will see infant, adolescent, adult and geriatric patients. To schedule an appointment with Miller at the Hawley Practice, please call 570-576-8081.

Dunmore resident Kayla Gatto, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., F.N.P.-B.C., joins The Wright Center’s Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. She earned her master’s degree in nursing from The University of Scranton and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wilkes University. Gatto is a board-certified registered family nurse practitioner. She most recently served as a registered nurse in the medical surgical intensive care unit at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, Wilkes-Barre.

At The Wright Center, Gatto will provide family practice care to patients of all ages. To schedule an appointment with Gatto at the Mid Valley Practice, please call 570-230-0019.

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education Names Krzywicki as Public Relations Manager

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Scranton, Pa. (Oct. 1, 2021) – The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education recently named Paul Krzywicki, an award-winning journalist and public relations professional, as public relations manager. 

A Mountain Top resident, Krzywicki will manage media outreach, and the planning and implementation of communication programs that create a positive image of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. He will create and transform ideas into communication strategies that include news articles, publications, blogs, social media posts, and other supportive materials. In addition, Krzywicki writes and edits copy for a variety of marketing needs, such as print ads, signage, web content, press releases, video scripts, and leadership talking points and presentations.

He will also provide strategy direction, message development, and communication planning and implementation to increase the understanding of corporate vision, business strategies and initiatives among the company’s internal and external audiences.  

A graduate of King’s College with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, Krzywicki has experience in print and broadcast journalism, and publications, public relations and grant writing for a regional institution of higher education and nonprofit agency. His work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and College & University Public Relations and Associated Professionals. 

The Wright Center for Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, as designated by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It is dedicated to serving Northeast Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents and currently provides a comprehensive medical home to more than 26,000 patients, more than 40% of whom are uninsured, underinsured or low income. The Wright Center for Community Health draws patients primarily from a five-county service area that includes Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education is fully accredited by the American Council on Graduate Medical Education. It is the largest HRSA-funded teaching health center for graduate medical education. Founded in 1976, it offers training programs for internal medicine, family medicine and psychiatry residents, and cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology and geriatrics fellows.

The Wright Center for Community Health Nationally Recognized for COVID Response and Quality Improvements

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Scranton, Pa. (Sept. 30, 2021) – The Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded five 2021 Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) awards to The Wright Center for Community Health based on quality improvements, health information technology and the health center’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. 

HRSA provides the CHQR badges to recognize Health Center Program awardees and Look-Alikes that have made notable quality improvement achievements in the areas of access, quality, health equity and health information technology. New this year are three awards that recognize health centers’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic; The Wright Center was awarded all three. 

HRSA COVID Awards bestowed on The Wright Center include: 

  • The COVID-19 Data Reporter Award
  • The COVID-19 Testing Award
  • The COVID-19 Vaccination Award

HRSA Quality Awards received by The Wright Center include: 

  • Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality: Recognizes the organization’s efforts for telehealth, patient engagement, interoperability and the advancement of quality care.
  • Access Enhancer: Recognizes the increase in The Wright Center’s total number of patients and the new services offered in response to community needs.

The Wright Center for Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike with a growing network of primary health locations throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties that provide safety net, comprehensive primary and preventive health services – including medical, dental, behavioral health, recovery services and a Ryan White HIV Clinic – to medically underserved populations regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.