U.S. Health and Human Services and Health Resources and Services Administration representatives tour The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice

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Representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Intergovernmental & External Affairs toured The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice on Thursday, June 29 to highlight the Biden administration’s work to lower prescription drug costs for Americans and to explain how Medicaid beneficiaries can maintain their health care coverage amid post-public health emergency changes to renewal requirements.

Melissa Herd, acting regional director and executive officer, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, Region 3, HHS; Leah Suter, regional administrator, HRSA; and Robert McKenna, deputy regional administrator, HRSA, and Theresa Devine Kimak, public health advisor, HRSA, discussed the federal initiatives designed to protect health care access with Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, resident physicians, board members, and clinical care team representatives during a personal meeting and tour of the health care facility that provides oral, primary, preventive, and specialty care services to patients of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses.

“The Wright Center is privileged to fulfill the delivery of its noble mission by working collaboratively with the United States Department of Health and Human Service and numerous like-minded community partners,” said Dr. Thomas-Hemak. “Together we strive to ensure patients and families in our service area have inclusive access to high-quality, comprehensive, equitable, and affordable primary and preventive health services and a respected voice in the generation of our incumbent and future health care workforce.

“Collectively, we are tirelessly working to bolster our national primary care and public health infrastructure to improve the health care and health of our country,” she added. “We are excited to host and celebrate our accomplishments as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program service provider, and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium with our national partners.”

Thanks to President Joe Biden’s new lower-cost prescription drug law, part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the lives of people with Medicare are changing for the better.

In addition to giving Medicare the ability to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, highlights of the new law include a $35 monthly cap per insulin prescription and free recommended preventative vaccines.

With the federal public health emergency ending in May, it marked the discontinuation of Medicaid’s continuous coverage requirement. Medicaid users now must complete their annual renewal for health care coverage. Since May, more than 3,500 Pennsylvanians have been disenrolled because they failed to complete the renewal process. More are expected to lose coverage for the same reason during the year, according to HHS.

The Wright Center for Community Health has been working to educate regional residents about the redetermination process for Medicaid coverage. The regional primary and preventive care provider has been distributing educational packets to patients, while community health workers also offer patients the personal attention they need to complete the renewal application process.

“Medicaid is our Swiss army knife of health – we use it to address maternal health, homelessness, food insecurity, provide mental health support to young people in their schools, to help improve care and coordination for the formerly incarcerated, and more,” Herd said.

Pennsylvania is one of 40 states to expand Medicaid, ensuring people across the state can access health care coverage. Had out-of-pocket costs for covered vaccines been eliminated in 2021, more than 177,459 Pennsylvanians who received vaccines under Part D would have saved almost $11 million or $60.43 per Medicare enrollee. And the $35 monthly insulin cap would have saved more than 80,197 state residents with Medicare an average of $543 on their insulin in 2020, according to HHS.

Today, a record 92 million Americans rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, better known as CHIP, for their health care, including nearly 3.7 million in the commonwealth, according to HHS.

The Wright Center for Community Health’s patient-centered medical home has nine locations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, that serve more than 40,0000 unique patients annually and ensures everyone in the service area has access to integrated, high-quality, affordable health services, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay.

“The Wright Center for Community Health and its network of providers in Northeast Pennsylvania emphasize the importance of primary and preventive care for patients of all ages, from pediatrics to geriatrics,” said Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, chief medical officer for The Wright Center for Community Health. “The federal changes to Medicaid and CHIP renewal requirements could potentially reduce access to health care for some patients. That’s why the Wright Center for Community Health offers a sliding-fee discount program based on family size and income. It ensures health care services are accessible and more equitable for everyone, he added.”

For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education holds 44th annual graduation ceremony

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More than 330 celebrate accomplishments of 80 resident and fellow physician graduates

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education recognized 80 resident and fellow physician graduates during the 44th annual graduation ceremony Saturday that featured a keynote address by violinist and composer Kai Kight.

More than 330 family members, friends, and staff joined the graduates at the annual program at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple. The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education honored and recognized graduates from seven disciplines: Internal Medicine (35); Regional Family Medicine (11); National Family Medicine (17); Psychiatry (10); Cardiovascular Disease (4); Geriatrics (2) and Gastroenterology (1).

Before hearing from Kight, graduates were welcomed by The Wright Center for Graduation Medical Education’s Designated Institutional Official, Dr. Jumee Barooah.

“I am so proud of you for this accomplishment. And as a Wright Center graduate myself, I feel a special kinship with you,” said Dr. Barooah, an alumna of the Internal Medicine Residency. “We trained in similar learning environments. We embraced the same core values of The Wright Center. And we will forever share the same outlook on providing patient-centric health care while also remaining privileged to serve.” Dr. Barooah also acknowledged Dr. Samir Pancholy, program director of The Wright Center’s Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, who was recently recognized by The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions as one of its “Master Interventionalists.” Fewer than 100 doctors in the world hold this distinction. In addition, The Wright Center for Graduation Medical Education National Family Medicine Residency marked 10 years of training the next generation of physicians from coast to coast.

“The program’s innovative training model allows physicians to train in medically underserved areas throughout the nation, from rural Arizona to inner-city Washington, D.C.,” Dr. Barooah added. “We are grateful for the ongoing contributions of our national partners El Rio Health, in Tucson, Arizona; HealthSource of Ohio, in Hillsboro, Ohio; HealthPoint, in Auburn, Washington; and Unity Health Care, in Washington, D.C.”

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, thanked graduates for their dedication, especially during the turbulent times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, we train and deliver great physicians to serve society,” she said. “Our community-health-needs-responsive graduate medical education programs are intentionally designed to engage patients and families and the communities we serve to teach, support, and inspire our residents and fellows to reach their full potential as highly skilled clinicians and servant leaders prepared and motivated to live up to society’s expectations of the noble profession of medicine.”

Kight, a graduate of Stanford University’s design and engineering program, the Stanford d.school, and the Behavior Design Lab, used music as a metaphor to inspire the Class of 2023 to compose paths of imagination and fulfillment. 

“Through the music he composes and performs and the life stories and lessons he shares,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak said, “Mr. Kight … paradoxically challenges us to think introspectively and collectively about our own lives, our shared past and collective future, and the progressive human journey.” 

Similar to Kight, The Wright Center sparks innovation in the delivery and accessibility of primary and preventive care and the cost-effective education and training of an inspired, competent physician workforce. The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education is affiliated with The Wright Center for Community Health, which serves as the cornerstone ambulatory care delivery service organization of The Wright Center’s Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium, the largest in the nation funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.

Together with consortium stakeholders, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education train primary care residents and fellows in a community-based, community-needs-responsive workforce development model to improve the health and welfare of communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

In July, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education will welcome 91 residents and six fellows to its regional and national residency and fellowship programs. The resident physicians will train in the following programs: Internal Medicine Residency (40); Regional Family Medicine Residency (13); National Family Medicine (20), Psychiatry Residency (13), and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (5). Fellows will also begin training in the Cardiovascular Disease (3), Gastroenterology (2), and Geriatrics (1) fellowships in July.

National Family Medicine Residency program names Dr. Suzuki as associate program director

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Alumnus works at the Unity Health Care training location in Washington, D.C.

Taisei Suzuki headshot

Taisei Suzuki, D.O., MIPH

Taisei Suzuki, D.O., MIPH, has been named associate program director for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s National Family Medicine Residency program at the Unity Health Care training location in Washington, D.C.

In his new role, Dr. Suzuki will oversee resident physicians working at the training location, which offers medical outreach through 11 medical sites at homeless shelters, nine community health centers, two school-based health centers, medical walking outreach initiatives, and the D.C. Department of Corrections medical program.

“The uniqueness of Unity is there’s a lot of opportunity to deliver health care in different settings,” he says. “Correctional medicine is one, also the homeless, outreach, school-based health centers that really holistically take care of a patient in the community.”

For Dr. Suzuki, it’s a new role in a familiar place. He began his National Family Medicine Residency in Washington, D.C., in 2015 and completed his final two years in Tucson, Arizona, where he served as chief medical resident during the third year of his residency.

He then returned to Unity Health Care in December 2018 as a core faculty member for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s National Family Medicine Residency program. Dr. Suzuki became associate medical director of the Parkside Clinic in 2022.

Dr. Suzuki hopes to impart what he’s learned during his career at The Wright Center and Unity Health Care.

“I never really imagined myself involved in the teaching,” he says. “But I’m really passionate about osteopathic medicine, and I want to continue disseminating that philosophy to the next generation of doctors.”

Born in Japan, Dr. Suzuki initially worked as a humanitarian aid worker for nearly eight years with nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations in Liberia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and other developing countries. He then pursued his dream of becoming an osteopathic physician, enrolling at A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Osteopathic medicine is Dr. Suzuki’s calling, he says, because it focuses on treating the whole person and the mind-body-spirit connection. It’s an idea that resonates as he treats patients at Unity, many of whom are, “left out of the system.”

Physicians working with populations of special concern must have a good grasp of what’s happening in a patient’s life, Dr. Suzuki says. Patients have varying levels of education, meaning they can have difficulty understanding their medical conditions or reading instructions for medications. Patients experiencing homelessness may not be able to take medications regularly or focus on healthier eating. Understanding a patient’s challenges can help a physician deliver effective care, he says.

It’s a lesson he wants to help residents grasp. “I want to provide opportunities for the residents to truly understand community medicine and understand where patients are coming from and be able to deliver health care while meeting patients where they are,” Dr. Suzuki says. “It’s easy to say and super hard to do.”

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education National Family Residency program features training locations in Northeast Pennsylvania, Tucson, Arizona; Hillsboro, Ohio; Auburn, Washington; and Washington, D.C.

Residents at the Washington, D.C., training program rotate through training sites, including various Unity Health Care sites, Howard University Hospital, Children’s National Health System, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and United Medical Center.

“Through our training, I really hope all our residents fully understand how the health care system is not yet set up for everyone and how health care professionals help these people who are left out of society be able to live better and get the good health care that they need,” he says.

In addition to working with medical residents, Dr. Suzuki will continue to hold clinics several times a week, including one at the D.C. Department of Corrections. He enjoys building relationships with his patients to provide care, regardless of the patient’s changing circumstances.

Dr. Lawrence LeBeau. D.O., program director of the National Family Medicine Residency program for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, has worked closely with Dr. Suzuki for several years, watching him grow as a physician and a leader.

“He’s very organized, very mature, very compassionate,” Dr. LeBeau said. “He’s committed to the mission of the program.”

Dr. Suzuki credits the physician faculty and doctors he worked with at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education and at Unity for showing him how teamwork is the key to delivering high-quality, compassionate community care. He aims to share that knowledge with residents in the program.

“Graduate medical education is a teamwork effort,” he said. “As a resident, I always felt the program director is leading this, or the associate program director is deciding that, but it’s truly a lot of different people involved in establishing graduate medical education programs and moving things forward and then trying, truly trying, to help the residents improve.”

For more information about the fellowship and residency programs available at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, call 570.866.3017 or email GMErecruitment@TheWrightCenter.org.

The Wright Center to help develop new center aimed at helping abused seniors

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Low angle view of female therapist and senior male patient

The Wright Center for Community Health will help develop an innovative new center to help local seniors who are the victims of abuse.

Telespond Senior Services, 1200 Saginaw St., Scranton, will be the home of a regionally accessible center providing a multi-disciplinary team approach to serving victims in the safest, least restrictive way. The model, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, will be housed in a 2,000-square-foot addition to the existing Telespond Senior Services building. Construction for the Older Adult Advocacy Center will start soon. 

In Pennsylvania, the Older Adult Protective Services Act (OAPSA) provides a framework for reporting elder abuse, as well as receiving and investigating those reports and planning to reduce risk to vulnerable older adults. Nearly 35,000 investigations under OAPSA are completed annually in Pennsylvania. In Lackawanna County alone, investigations approach 1,200 annually. It is estimated that only 10% of elder abuse cases are reported. 

Recognizing the need to serve victims better, the new Older Adult Advocacy Center will offer a person-centered approach to Older Adult Protective Services (OAPS) investigating plans of care, treatment, and education for people over the age of 60. Offering emergency respite and short-term transitional living space for older adults, the center will operate using a team approach – providing onsite services including forensic, medical, and competency evaluations; adult day and personal care services; senior companionship; legal services; transportation, and more. The addition will include four one-bedroom units along with a medical station, handicap bathing facilities, a lounge, a small kitchenette area, and facilities for adults over the age of 60 in crisis. 

With visionary leadership and support from local and state leaders, generous local funders, and community partners serving older adults, a plan to develop programming for the Older Adult Advocacy Center will enhance and strengthen the tools available to Area Agencies on Aging, the Lackawanna County Elder Justice Multidisciplinary Team, and local law enforcement, as well as the delivery of services to older adults in need of housing, food and nutrition, mediation, legal services, and assistance navigating connections to services, supports, or programs offered.

To begin the project designed to address the need to continue to educate and support vulnerable older adults, their families, and the community, the northeast regional Area Agency on Aging offices partnered with The Pennsylvania Department of Aging, the Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Telespond Senior Services, The Wright Center for Community Health, the Moses Taylor Foundation, Lackawanna County, the City of Scranton, the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, the Elder Justice Multi-Disciplinary Team, and Weill Cornell of New York City. 

Over the last year, these partners have been working to ensure the plan for an Older Adult Advocacy Center is viable and sustainable and can be replicated in other communities across the Keystone State.

If you suspect an older adult is the victim of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, please call the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging at 570-963-6740 or the Protective Services Helpline at 800-490-8505.

The Wright Center offering dental services at its Hawley Practice beginning in July

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Hawley Practice

The Wright Center for Community Health Hawley Practice is at 103 Spruce St.

The Wright Center for Community Health will begin conducting two regularly scheduled dental clinics each month at its primary and preventive care practice in Hawley, starting July 17.

The clinics will be held on the third and fourth Mondays of every month, with appointments available between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Wright Center’s dental professionals will provide affordable, high-quality oral care services, including routine exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, extractions, and other procedures.

A dental hygienist will be on site to assist new and returning patients on the third Monday of the month. A general practice dentist and a dental assistant will see patients during the subsequent monthly clinic, offering advanced treatment.

Appointments may be made for children and adults by calling 570.576.8081. The Wright Center for Community Health Hawley Practice is located at 103 Spruce St.

The community health center accepts most dental insurances, including Delta Dental, Guardian, United Concordia, and Medical Assistance (Medicaid). To ensure high-quality oral care is available to everyone, The Wright Center offers a sliding-fee discount program to individuals who qualify based on Federal Poverty Guidelines that consider family size and income. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.

Receiving routine oral health care not only lessens the likelihood of developing cavities, tooth pain, gum infections, and other mouth troubles, it also promotes good overall health. A healthy smile also can boost an individual’s self-confidence in social settings, including public presentations and job interviews.

The Wright Center was designated in 2019 as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One year later, The Wright Center opened its Hawley Practice, expanding access to close-to-home care for rural residents in Wayne and Pike counties.

Today, the Scranton-based nonprofit enterprise operates nine primary care practices in the region, including a mobile medical vehicle called Driving Better Health. Its practices offer integrated care, meaning patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access dental, medical, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. 

The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice to begin offering dental services July 12

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The Wright Center for Community Health’s newest primary and preventive care practice – located in downtown Wilkes-Barre – will soon expand its services to the public, adding dental care.

Beginning Wednesday, July 12, weekly dental services for children and adults will be available between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. each Wednesday at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Appointments can be made now by calling 570-491-0126.

The rollout of dental services will continue throughout the year as renovations are completed at the former office building. The clinic will have 10 dental exam rooms in addition to a large complement of exam rooms for medical and behavioral health services.

Dr. Ryan Rebar

Dr. Ryan Rebar, a Northeast Pennsylvania native and general practice dentist, will treat patients at the Wilkes-Barre Practice.

Rebar and other members of The Wright Center for Community Health’s team, including a dental hygienist, will provide affordable, high-quality oral care services, including routine exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, extractions, and other procedures.

“There’s a big need for dental care services in the Wilkes-Barre area, especially for users of Medicaid who don’t have many places in the vicinity to go for treatment,” said Kimberly McGoff, director of dental operations for The Wright Center for Community Health. “I think the response to our new oral care services there will be great.”

The community health center accepts most dental insurances, including Delta Dental, Guardian, United Concordia, and Medical Assistance (Medicaid). To ensure high-quality oral care is available to everyone, The Wright Center for Community Health offers a sliding-fee discount program to individuals who qualify based on Federal Poverty Guidelines that take into account family size and income. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.

The Wright Center for Community Health was designated in 2019 as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In January, The Wright Center opened its Wilkes-Barre Practice, expanding access to primary medical care in the heart of the Wyoming Valley. A multi-phase expansion plan calls for the practice to add dental and behavioral services, plus space for The Wright Center’s interprofessional health education activities.

The Scranton-based nonprofit enterprise currently operates nine primary care practices, including a mobile medical and dental vehicle, in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties. Its practices offer integrated care, meaning patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services.