The Wright Center for Community Health Names New Behavioral Health Manager

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Scranton, Pa. (Feb. 4, 2021) – Saroj Shrestha, a certified trauma therapist and veteran of the mental health services field in Northeast Pennsylvania, has been named Behavioral Health Manager for The Wright Center for Community Health.

Prior to joining The Wright Center, Shrestha served as Clinical Director of Social Services for Commonwealth Health Systems. A licensed social worker, he has extensive experience providing trauma-informed care, and has served as a therapist and supervisor in a variety of clinical settings, including psychiatric facilities, inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics and as a mobile provider bringing services to families in their natural settings.

In this new leadership position, Shrestha will manage daily operations of behavioral health services at all Wright Center clinical locations and develop and implement continuous improvement strategies to ensure the delivery of highest quality care.

“Finding someone of Saroj Shrestha’s caliber when it comes to combined expertise in patient care and clinical supervision will prove to be a great asset to our team and the people we serve,” said Scott Constantini, Director of Behavioral Health Services.

“I’m excited to join The Wright Center and do my part to support its important community-centered work using skills honed over a career steeped in service to mental health,” Shrestha said.

Shrestha earned his bachelor’s degree in social work from Slippery Rock University and his master’s degree in social work from Marywood University. He resides in Dunmore.

The Wright Center names Associate Vice President of Grants Operations

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Scranton, Pa. (Feb. 4, 2021) – Tom Glaser, a Northeast Pennsylvania native with extensive experience in public health administration, has been named Associate Vice President of Grants Operations at The Wright Center for Community Health and The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

Prior to joining The Wright Center in August as the Post-Awards Grants Manager, Glaser served as the Department Administrator at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center-Mailman School of Public Health, New York, for 18 years. He also worked with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as Deputy Director of Operations. In this new position, Glaser will provide internal leadership and administrative supervision for Wright Center programs funded by federal, state and private funds, ensuring grants accomplish program initiatives and meet compliance and reporting requirements.

“We are very fortunate to have this talented and experienced professional in our grants department, and will surely benefit from his expertise in this leadership role,” said Lisa Baumann, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for The Wright Center.

“I look forward to contributing to the community-centric operations of The Wright Center by shepherding the financial resources we are entrusted with, and working closely with our dedicated teams to ensure we act as responsible stewards of the funds we gratefully receive,” Glaser said.

Glaser earned his master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College, City University of New York, Graduate School of Public Affairs, and his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. A Moscow ntive, he now resides in Jessup.

Key Staffers Appointed Board Directors of The Wright Center for Patient and Community Engagement

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Scranton, Pa. (Feb. 4, 2021) – Three integral employees of The Wright Center for Community Health recently were appointed board directors for The Wright Center for Patient and Community Engagement. Each brings unique backgrounds in patient care or health information technology to the governance table.

The Wright Center for Patient and Community Engagement enhances The Wright Center for Community Health’s ability to determine outreach priorities as it continues to meet the healthcare needs of the most vulnerable in the community. Board members provide oversight, direction and support for Wright Center team members and their efforts, offering their unique perspectives on community needs, resources and connections, to develop and maintain active, collaborative relationships with patients and the community at large.

Kari Machelli, R.N., serves as Director of Care and Case Management Services for The Wright Center for Community Health. In this leadership role, she oversees the Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence Case Managers, Certified Recovery Specialists and Community Health Workers. Machelli has been with The Wright Center for more than 20 years, starting as an RN Care Manager. She earned her nursing degree from The Pennsylvania State University.

Danielle Hennessey is Electronic Medical Records and Health Informatics Manager for The Wright Center. She joined the organization in 2019 as an EMR Application Support and Trainer for the Mid Valley Practice and Ryan White HIV Clinic, and was integral in building the interface that allowed for the exchange of data between two separate electronic health records systems. Hennessey graduated from Valley View High School and attended Lackawanna College and Marywood University. She has a background in information technology, having worked for TMG Health for four years prior to joining The Wright Center.

Cheri Lewis-Aulisio is a licensed medical social worker for The Wright Center for Community Health. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Marywood University. Cheri has a background working with diverse patient populations and has practiced in various clinical settings, including nursing homes, in-patient physician rehabilitation facilities and acute hospital-based settings. She has experience in behavioral health services and has worked with homeless women and children and Children & Youth Services. She also is part of the National Association of Community Health Center’s PRAPARE Tiger Team, which trains health centers to be better equipped to address social determinants of health and improve health equity.

New Medical Director of Pediatric Services Announced

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Pediatrician Maria Alexies Osorio Samonte, M.D., Named Medical Director of The Wright Center’s Pediatric Services

Maria Alexies Osorio Samonte, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician with over 25 years of experience, has been named Medical Director of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Pediatric Services. She will practice at the Mid Valley location, 5 South Washington Ave., Jermyn, where she is accepting new patients, ages newborn to 18 years old.

Prior to joining The Wright Center, Dr. Samonte served as a general pediatrician and Regional Medical Director for Geisinger Northeast Pediatrics. She was also clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Dr. Samonte now assumes the leadership role of Associate Program Director for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Family Medicine Pediatrics Program.

A Jenkins Twp. resident, Dr. Samonte earned her doctorate degree in medicine and surgery as well as a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. She also earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Scranton. Dr. Samonte completed pediatric residency training at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, and fellowship training in pediatric nephrology at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri. She is a fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Philippine Medical Association.

The Wright Center offers primary care to all ages at eight clinical sites throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, with four pediatricians, seven family medicine doctors and numerous physician assistants and nurse practitioners who provide comprehensive and preventive health services to children and entire families. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Samonte, families can call 570-230-0019.

Over $1.75M in Grants Received

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The Wright Center for Community Health Receives Grants for Over $1.75M from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

The Wright Center for Community Health recently received a pair of grants from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation to help establish a primary care practice in the city’s South Side neighborhood to treat previously underserved patients.

The two grants, totaling $1.75 million, supported the startup of the practice at 501 S. Washington Ave., which offers patients a single location to access comprehensive primary care services, including medical, behavioral and dental care and addiction/recovery services. The practice opened to patients in early December. The site also serves as a hub for The Wright Center’s administrative and graduate medical education activities.

The Weinberg Foundation awarded a $950,000 capital grant to assist in converting the site, a former warehouse, into a clinical primary care space with 30 exam rooms. Six of the exam rooms are dedicated to infectious disease care and the practice also houses four dental operatories. This grant also covered medical equipment, such as ultrasound machines, EKGs and AEDs, and other office necessities.

Simultaneously, the Weinberg Foundation provided an operating grant of $800,000 to be used over two years to support much-needed healthcare provider positions, including a pediatrician, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, a dentist and a psychiatrist.

The new practice is expected to annually treat more than 7,000 patients, including underinsured, uninsured and low-income individuals, regardless of a person’s ability to pay.

The Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of people experiencing poverty. In 2020, the Foundation will provide approximately $130 million in grant activity supporting nonprofits, primarily in the US and Israel, which provide direct services in the areas of Housing, Health, Jobs, Education, and Community Services. Grants support organizations that serve a range of populations, including older adults, women at risk and their children, people with disabilities, and veterans, as well as the Jewish community.

Northeast Pennsylvania is one of the foundation’s “priority communities.” The foundation’s prior support has enabled The Wright Center to enhance the oral care clinic at its Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn, and to expand its school-based health center program. Grant funding also allowed The Wright Center for Community Health to successfully attain designation last year as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike.

The Scranton Practice is open Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made by calling 570-941-0630.

Lifestyle Medicine Program Introduced

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Evidence-based approach has been shown to prevent, treat, reverse disease

A new medical trend is showing promising results when it comes to preventing and even reversing chronic, debilitating diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension that affect Americans at an alarming rate.

No, it’s not a new drug or an improved technology. It’s Lifestyle Medicine and it’s coming soon to a Wright Center for Community Health primary care practice near you.

The Wright Center for Community Health and The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education co-announce the launch of Lifestyle Medicine, one of the fastest growing fields of medicine that focuses on the six pillars of health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, relationships and the avoidance of risky substances. It differs from mainstream medical approaches by emphasizing non-pharmaceutical, non-invasive treatments to prevent, treat and even reverse chronic disease.

“Lifestyle Medicine is an evidence-based, logical and motivational approach to promoting health that has the power to revolutionize health care delivery in America,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health and President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “Effective health care reform will require more than determining new payment models for the insurmountable, ever increasing total costs of medical care primarily related to management of acute and chronic diseases, many of which are preventable. Real change in our healthcare industry will require a longview perspective and a care delivery model flip to a significant investment in healthy behaviors and disease prevention.” 

By current estimates, 40% of Americans are affected by chronic diseases and 70% of all American adults are overweight or obese, which increases their risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Nine out of 10 Americans ages 75 and older have at least one chronic illness, and more than 20% suffer from five or more.

This chronic disease burden has placed an enormous strain on the American health care system. It is now estimated that up to 80% of the care provided by primary care physicians involves treatment of diseases that should first be addressed by improving lifestyle choices. The overall cost to the U.S. health care system of unhealthy lifestyles has been estimated at upwards of $3 trillion each year.

“Lifestyle Medicine is about empowering patients to take their wellbeing into their own hands through manageable changes,” explained Robert Naismith, Ph.D., a board member of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “Life-saving health improvements are within reach, especially when it comes to incorporating a plant-based diet and other positive behaviors recommended by Lifestyle Medicine experts.”

As part of its commitment to responsive and responsible health services, The Wright Center for Community Health will introduce Lifestyle Medicine at all of its nine comprehensive primary care centers throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. All Wright Center primary care physicians and care teams will incorporate Lifestyle Medicine into their usual practice by introducing motivational support for therapeutic lifestyle interventions for the treatment and prevention of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancer and more.

Wright Center physicians and providers will complete a thorough patient assessment of current health habits and then introduce and empower individualized treatment plans based on specific risk factors. Treatment plans include but are not limited to improving nutrition – including introducing a predominantly whole-food, plant-based diet – increasing physical activity, managing stress, eliminating tobacco use, and moderating alcohol consumption.

“It’s important to point out that Lifestyle Medicine is not alternative medicine,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak stressed. “It is based on strong evidence of the value of lifestyle interventions in a variety of disease states and does not bring experimental or unproven approaches to the medical care being delivered.”

In addition to incorporating Lifestyle Medicine into patient care, an educational curriculum will be introduced to all physicians in training at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education – including students, residents and fellows  – preparing this next generation of doctors to become eligible for board certification by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. 

Dr. Jumee Barooah, Designated Institutional Official for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, says the innovative American College of Lifestyle Medicine curriculum being introduced this fall will play a critical role for future practicing primary care and specialty physicians.

“Residency is where a new physician really puts their education to work, so we think immersing these new doctors in evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine on the frontlines of clinical training is not just vital for existing patients, it’s transformative for the future of our health care delivery system,” Dr. Barooah said. “We really want to provide our physician learners with an innovative education that includes true value-based care by improving health outcomes while lowering costs. Our overall graduate medical education program will be greatly strengthened by this pioneering curriculum.”