The Wright Center Welcomes New Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

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Lisa Baumann, a program development and grant-writing strategist with 25 years of experience, has been named Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at The Wright Center for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education.

Before joining the Wright Center, Baumann was president and owner of Community Health Consulting, and served as director of Competitive Grants and Foundation Relations as well as Community Benefit and Partnerships for Geisinger Health Foundation and Geisinger Health Plan, Danville.

In her new position, Baumann will lead The Wright Center’s grants and development teams as they identify, secure and steward funds from federal, state and private programs and foundations via strategic relation-building with community partners and stakeholders. Baumann will also be responsible for directing Wright Center programs bolstered by this financial pipeline.

“I’m excited to be part of The Wright Center and further my work in community health. For more than 40 years, the Wright Center has served as an essential community provider, demonstrating an altruistic focus on positively impacting the health and welfare of the community it serves,” Baumann explained. “The Wright Center’s reputation for being responsive to the identified needs of the community through innovative solutions is inspirational to me.

“Lisa is a most welcome addition to our team,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., Wright Center president and CEO. “Her extensive background in advancing initiatives at the local, state and national level, including her successful track record of identifying, soliciting and stewarding funds from government agencies, corporations and foundations, shows she is ideally poised to build on the foundation we have laid as we continue to grow within the communities we serve and expand into new regions.”   Baumann earned her master’s degree in health administration from the University of Scranton and her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Indiana University. She and her husband, Dr. Christopher Baumann, reside in Scranton.

The Wright Center Welcomes New Chief Financial Officer

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Ronald P. Daniels, an operations leader and certified public accountant with more than 35 years of banking and revenue growth experience, has been named enterprise Chief Financial Officer at The Wright Center for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education.

Before joining the Wright Center, Daniels was president and owner of C Level Alternatives LLC, and served as CFO at Astro Apparel Inc., a multi-million dollar international importing and wholesale distributor in Scranton.

In his new position, Daniels will lead The Wright Center’s extensive billing and finance departments as they strategically plan, budget, analyze and steward funds from federal, state and private programs and foundations. Through reliable financial reporting and information sharing, Daniels will support the mission-driven business decision-making at the Wright Center to ensure the nonprofit meets all outcome reporting requirements as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and safety-net provider of comprehensive primary care services and graduate medical education school.

“I’m honored to join The Wright Center and apply my extensive financial management background to its crucial mission of positively impacting the health and welfare of the community it serves,” Daniels explained. “Through fiscal rigor and meaningful accountability, I look forward to supporting the Wright Center’s continued growth in our region as it expands its reach to the medically underserved of the area.”

“Ronald’s impressive background and demonstrated success in growing financial sustainability and improving existing systems shows he is positioned to help us build on our successes while identifying new avenues for continued prosperity for the good of our community,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., Wright Center president and CEO.  

Daniels earned his master’s in business administration degree in finance from the University of Scranton and his bachelor’s degree in accounting from The Pennsylvania State University. He and his wife, Sheri, reside in the North Pocono community.

The Wright Center Opening Comprehensive Primary Care Practice in Hawley July 1st

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The Wright Center for Community Health is pleased to announce it is expanding its reach into Wayne County with the opening of a comprehensive primary care clinic in Hawley beginning July 1st.

Located at 103 Spruce Street, Hawley, the new office will provide comprehensive primary and pediatric care to residents in Wayne and Pike counties and the surrounding area. The office will be open five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering health care services to adults and children of all ages including sick visits for the whole family, routine examinations and screenings, dental and behavioral health, substance abuse services and the treatment of any illnesses or injuries not requiring a trip to the emergency room.

The Hawley location is the latest addition to The Wright Center’s northeastern Pennsylvania network of nine existing community health centers that provide safety net, comprehensive primary and preventive care to medically underserved populations regardless of a patient’s ability to pay or health insurance status.

“This mission-driven expansion allows us to bring essential primary health services to Wayne and Pike county families and the extended rural community,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, Chief Medical Officer for the Wright Center for Community Health.  “The proposed clinic, when fully operational, will serve approximately 1,400 patients with a third of them uninsured, underinsured or underserved.”

To make an appointment at The Wright Center’s new Hawley clinic, call 570-576-8081

beginning June 15th. A formal ribbon cutting ceremony will be held later this summer. “On behalf of the community, we are thrilled to welcome The Wright Center to Hawley to fill a much needed gap in physical and mental health,” said Justin Genzlinger, CEO and owner of Settlers Hospitality.

Moses Taylor Foundation Awards $160,352 Grant to Wright Center for COVID-19 Preparedness

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Moses Taylor Foundation has generously awarded a $160,352 grant to The Wright Center for Community Health to fund significant equipment and supplies to treat and protect the region’s most vulnerable patients and to keep frontline medical personnel safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re incredibly appreciative of the unwavering and empowering support we’ve historically received from Moses Taylor Foundation,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of The Wright Center for Community Health and President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “During this complex global health crisis, the reiterated generosity of this valued community partner once again empowers us to sustain our mission to improve the health and welfare of our regional community.”

The Moses Taylor Foundation grant will fund essential equipment for the nonprofit’s safety-net community health centers that provide nondiscriminatory and integrated primary medical, Ryan White, dental, behavioral, addiction and recovery health services at nine practice sites throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. The much-needed equipment funded by the Moses Taylor Foundation grant includes two military-grade medical tents with negative-pressure ventilation infrastructure to prevent virus spread amongst patients and staff, as well as Personal Protective Equipment, COVID tests, and sanitation/decontamination supplies and services.

“We welcome this opportunity to support the critical work of The Wright Center to improve the health and wellness of the communities we collectively serve,” said LaTida Smith, President and CEO of Moses Taylor Foundation. “In moments of crisis, we know time and resources are precious. We value The Wright Center’s work on behalf of families in the area, and we appreciate opportunities to support its mission-driven endeavors.” Moses Taylor Foundation serves an 11-county region that includes Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. The foundation prioritizes responding quickly and meaningfully to emerging needs that arise in the community, and plays a critical role in strengthening the safety-net of health and human service providers in Northeast Pennsylvania. The foundation provides opportunities for people in the region, especially the most vulnerable, to lead healthy lives.

The Wright Center Launches COVID-19 Command Center in Partnership with State Dept. of Human Services

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Assisted-living facilities, home to more than 65,000 people in Pennsylvania alone, have quickly become a new and dangerous theater in the war against the coronavirus. Although these centers care for some of the most susceptible and at-risk citizens in the Commonwealth, they normally lack clinical staff, leaving direct-care workers ill-equipped to deal with cases of COVID-19.

As part of its commitment to serving the most vulnerable patient populations, The Wright Center for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education has joined forces with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and seven other prominent hospital systems across the state to provide clinical care and guidance to personal-care home and assisted-living facilities in the face of this public health crisis.

A COVID-19 Education and Outreach Command Center has been established on the second floor of The Wright Center’s South Scranton location, 501 S. Washington Ave. Five days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., a dedicated team of resident doctors led by Internal Medicine Faculty Physician Erin McFadden, M.D., and Project Coordinator Melissa Watson are calling nearly 200 assisted-living facilities in the Northeast region of the state to offer Telehealth medical appointments and educational guidance, track coronavirus cases and assess PPE supply and staffing needs. This data is then shared with the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health to arrange for PPE delivery and compile more accurate statistics on COVID-19.

“During this unprecedented time, we must go the extra mile to protect the residents of personal-care homes and assisted-living facilities, who are among the most at-risk patient populations. We must also look out for the staff that care for these vulnerable citizens and link them to desperately needed resources. This command center is critical to ensure they all have access to medical guidance and education,” said Dr. McFadden.

The Wright Center joins Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Geisinger Health System, Allegheny Health System, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on this statewide taskforce. “This is a frightening time for these DHS-licensed facilities and the vulnerable residents they serve. But we have their backs. Collectively, we believe that with the additional educational support and clinical coaching that we are providing, personal-care homes and assisted-living residences will finally have the support they need,” said Ali Fogarty, Communications Director for the Pa. Dept. of Human Services.

The Wright Center Implements Extra Safety Measures Including Negative-Pressure Tent At Mid Valley Practice

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Out of an abundance of precaution and to alleviate patient concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, a negative-pressure tent has been set up outside of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley Practice as part of the nonprofit’s ongoing preventative efforts to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19.

“This approach is all about being proactive,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, Chief Medical Officer. “Patients should rest assured that we are prepared and adaptable to this public health crisis. We are continuously working to improve our protocols so that we can continue to take care of our community.”

Patients who arrive at the Mid Valley Clinic, located at 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn, will be checked-in outside of the practice by a clinical worker. Those without COVID-19 symptoms will enter the clinic as usual for their appointments. Patients presenting with respiratory symptoms will be immediately masked and ushered into the negative-pressure tent where they will receive the same care as if they were in the clinic. Negative-pressure systems help control disease outbreaks because the air inside the tent does not leave the space, protecting others from exposure. Proper PPE including gowns, masks, face shields and gloves will be worn by all employees in the tent. 

In addition to the Mid Valley negative-pressure tent, The Wright Center has also instituted the following safety and preventive measures: “dry fog” de-contamination at all sites using a fully biodegradable sporicide that leaves no residue or by-product; and freshly laundered scrubs for clinical employees. “These additional clinical precautions will ensure that safety is prioritized for all during this unprecedented time,” Dr. Sheth noted. “We will continue to closely monitor developments, consult with leading experts and work tirelessly to implement extra safety measures as part of our vigilance to prevent further transmission of this virus. These tents especially are a sign of The Wright Center’s readiness and commitment to patient and employee safety.”