Reflecting its commitment to the transfer of timely and accurate health data, The Wright Center for Community Health recently participated in a program to validate information-sharing processes and ensure they meet the rigorous standards set by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
The Wright Center is a member of the Keystone Health Information Exchange (KeyHIE), which includes 35 Pennsylvania hospitals, plus dozens of other participating organizations such as physician practices, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and pharmacies.
KeyHIE, with the support of participants such as The Wright Center, took the necessary steps in 2023 to earn the NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation certification. The Wright Center is now recognized as an approved “ingestion site” for data transmission.
The NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation program evaluates an organization’s management and exchange of health data. Data streams that earn its validation undergo an end-to-end look – from ingestion at primary sources through transmission to end users – at the quality and integrity of data and the procedures used to manage and safeguard it.
By receiving the Data Aggregator Validation designation, KeyHIE conveys to health plans, providers, government organizations, and others that they can trust the accuracy of aggregated clinical data for use in Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set reporting and other quality programs.
Founded in 2005, KeyHIE is one of the oldest and largest health information exchanges in the United States. It serves more than 5.8 million patients over a large geographical area, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The Wright Center, headquartered in Scranton, operates 10 primary and preventive care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania, including a mobile medical and dental vehicle called Driving Better Health. Its practices offer integrated whole-person 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.
The Wright Center accepts most major health insurance plans, including Medical Assistance (Medicaid), Medicare, and CHIP. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.
The Wright Center for Community Health has received a nearly $60,000 grant to expand treatment and recovery services in Pike County for pregnant women and new mothers with substance use disorders.
The funding will support the Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support, more commonly known as the Healthy MOMS program, a multi-agency effort that The Wright Center co-founded five years ago to help combat the opioid crisis. The Healthy MOMS program was launched in Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties but has grown to serve women and their families throughout much of Northeast Pennsylvania.
The newly awarded grant will be used to assist Pike County Children and Youth Services’ clients who are referred to the program. 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 Department of Human Services and Pike County.
Maria Kolcharno
“We are very grateful to Pike County officials for this impactful financial support, which will allow us to help additional mothers and their families who live in that fast-growing part of our region,” said Maria Kolcharno, director of addiction services at The Wright Center for Community Health and a key leader of the Healthy MOMS program. “A case manager and certified recovery specialist will assist the women in connecting to appropriate treatment and wrap-around services so they can overcome barriers to care, focus on building lives in recovery, and successfully raise their children.”
“Pike County Children and Youth Services is excited for this opportunity to not only support mothers, infants, and their families to live healthier lives, but are forever grateful for this collaborative approach as we continue our community outreach,” said Michele Burrell, administrator, Pike County Children and Youth Services. “The Healthy MOMS program, while working in conjunction with the Pike County Children and Youth team, will be able to offer an extensive community approach.”
Established locally in late 2018, the Healthy MOMS program is modeled after a program of the same name in Ohio and aims to help pregnant women and new mothers achieve and maintain sobriety. To date, it has supported more than 450 mothers and 233 babies.
Participants are offered blanket services, including medication-assisted treatment and addiction services, primary health care, OB-GYN care, counseling, parenting tips, legal advice, and various other supports. Each mom ideally remains engaged in the program until her child turns 2 years old.
A collaborative venture from the start, the Healthy MOMS program relies on the substantial and sustained contributions of dozens of community partners, including Maternal and Family Health Services Inc., the Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs, area hospitals, Outreach, and many other social service, government and health-related agencies.
Brian Ebersole of Taylor, a longtime health care change agent and community organizer, has been named vice president of academic affairs and associate designated institutional official for The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education.
Brian Ebersole
In his roles, Ebersole will provide administrative and programmatic leadership across all educational activities, partnerships, and new educational initiatives at The Wright Centers. He will work closely with Dr. Jumee Barooah, The Wright Center’s designated institutional official, to support all levels of medical education, anticipate future opportunities, and assess the impact of new developments on the organization.
Most recently, Ebersole served as the senior director of health innovations at Geisinger Health System, focusing on social needs, health equity, and population health. Several initiatives were part of his portfolio, including food as medicine programs like the Fresh Food Farmacy®, the development and launch of a social care platform called Neighborly, and the expansion of Medicaid coverage to communities across Pennsylvania.
Ebersole previously served The Wright Centers as senior vice president for mission delivery and business development, where he secured over $48 million in new federal, state, and local resources to create new and support established programming throughout the enterprise. He developed and led the creation of the national family medicine residency program and worked with the leadership team to grow the residency and fellowship programs from 36 internal medicine residents to more than 190 resident physicians training in internal medicine, regional and national family medicine, and cardiology.
In addition, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education offers residencies in psychiatry and physical medicine & rehabilitation, as well as fellowships in gastroenterology and geriatrics.
Ebersole earned a Bachelor of Arts in politics and education from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. He resides in Taylor with his husband, Jeff Smith, and son, Keegan.
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE) donated more than two dozen turkeys and other food to help some Lakeland Elementary Mayfield Campus students and their families have a happier holiday season. Teachers and staff at the elementary school hosted a food drive and raised money in memory of the late Mayfield Campus teacher Maria Proch. The collaborative efforts will provide holiday dinners to 25 families whose children attend the school. Participating in the turkey donation, from left, are Wright Center Community Health Worker Jessica Rosario, PCE Co-Director Gerri McAndrew, third grade teacher Annie Bednash, and second grade teacher Tiffany Hosie. For more information about PCE, please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
The Wright Center for Community Health proudly announces that Dr. Surbhi Abrol, a board-certified dentist, has been appointed as a faculty member at NYU Langone Dental Medicine. In her new role, Dr. Abrol will mentor dental residents in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program, sharing her clinical knowledge in general dentistry and background in prosthodontics. This appointment highlights her commitment to dental education and her expertise in the field.
Each academic year, two dental residents train at The Wright Center’s primary care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania as part of an affiliation established in 2021 with NYU Langone Dental Medicine. The organization, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., operates the world’s largest postdoctoral dental residency program of its kind, training about 400 residents annually at partner sites, including community health centers, hospitals, and other affiliates in nearly 30 states.
Dr. Surbhi Abrol
The Wright Center is currently the only organization in Pennsylvania to partner with NYU Langone to offer its AEGD Program. Through this affiliation, The Wright Center is able to attract additional health professionals to the region to address the community’s pressing need for dental services.
“I am pleased to receive this faculty appointment and contribute to The Wright Center for Community Health’s vision in clinical training and dental education,” expressed Dr. Abrol, who became a part of The Wright Center in 2022. “As a faculty member at NYU Langone Dental Medicine, I am excited to help shape the next generation of dentists, particularly those committed to serving in rural and medically underserved communities. This role aligns perfectly with my passion for dental education and community health.”
Dr. Abrol earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and has been practicing since 2021 in Scranton. The Wright Center for Community Health operates 10 primary and preventive care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania, including a mobile medical and dental vehicle called Driving Better Health. Its practices offer integrated whole-person 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.
The Wright Center accepts most major health insurance plans, including Medical Assistance (Medicaid), Medicare, and CHIP. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.
To schedule a dental appointment at the Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn, call 570-230-0019. To schedule a dental appointment at the Scranton Practice in the city’s South Side neighborhood, call 570-941-0630.
Representatives of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, from left, Gerard J. Geoffroy, chairperson, Community Health Board of Directors and immediate past chairperson, Patient & Community Engagement Board of Directors; Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education; Laura Spadaro, VP, primary care and public health policy; and Jennifer Walsh, Esq., senior VP, enterprise integrity, executive counsel, and chief governance officer, pose for a picture after the ceremony.
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, received a 2023 Pennsylvania Impact Award from City & State Pennsylvania magazine, recognizing her leadership in social responsibility.
Dr. Thomas-Hemak, a Lackawanna County native, was one of 75 honorees from across the commonwealth to be chosen by the magazine for its special recognition. She accepted the award during a ceremony in Philadelphia.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to be recognized for living the mission of The Wright Center,” said Dr. Thomas-Hemak. “Together, we are building a preferred future in which everyone will benefit from a health system that prioritizes equity, quality, and affordability of comprehensive primary health care services and career opportunities.”
The Pennsylvania Impact Awards honor residents “who are pillars of sustainability, diversity and inclusion, charity, and community engagement,” according to the publication, known for its coverage of the Keystone State’s business, political, and community leaders.
The publication noted that “there are a lot of ways to make a difference.” For example, the changemakers “have raised funds and galvanized support for patients with Alzheimer’s and autism and for children in need of early intervention.” In addition, “they have programmed software to help Pennsylvanians access medical care and legal services.”
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, left, poses for a picture with honoree, Clayton Jacobs, executive director, Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter, at the ceremony in Philadelphia.
The influential difference-makers included state Sen. Lisa M. Boscola, state Sen. Art Haywood, Associate Professor Teresa Hunter-Pettersen, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine; Clayton Jacobs, executive director, Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter; and President Jessica Ritchie, UPMC Pinnacle Foundation.
Under Dr. Thomas-Hemak’s leadership, The Wright Center remains deeply immersed in community engagement activities, routinely collaborating with dozens of regional, state, and national partners on health care and workforce development initiatives. The Wright Center, for example, is spearheading an effort in Northeast Pennsylvania to establish interoperability across multiple hospital, health care, and social services systems, with the goal of giving patients and providers access to timely, actionable health care data to improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Thomas-Hemak also serves as board co-chair of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, a subsidiary of the health center. The group is active throughout the year in providing material goods and other support to community members challenged by poverty and other negative social determinants of health, such as food insecurity and homelessness.
Earlier this year, Dr. Thomas-Hemak hired the enterprise’s first environmental, social, and governance (ESG) specialist. He is now developing a strategic plan to tailor existing policies and decision-making systems so the enterprise can fulfill its mission while being socially responsible to the community and the planet.
Similarly, The Wright Center’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is evident in the year-round programming offered to employees and community members, including a monthly DEI blog and workshop. An emphasis is currently being placed on fostering a safe, trauma-informed workplace for employees, patients, and visitors.
Dr. Thomas-Hemak, who has served as The Wright Center’s top executive for more than a decade, has helped the health center optimize federal and state resources, allowing it to establish 10 primary and preventive care clinics that collectively serve more than 32,500 patients a year. She also expanded the enterprise’s graduate medical education programs, which now train about 250 resident and fellow physicians annually in eight residency and fellowship programs. These programs attract needed medical expertise, such as behavioral health and specialized geriatric care providers, to the region.
Her leadership has enabled the enterprise to create hundreds of jobs and improve community health. Today, The Wright Center employs about 645 people.
Dr. Thomas-Hemak graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and completed Harvard’s Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency in Boston, Massachusetts, before returning to Northeast Pennsylvania to practice primary care. She is quadruple board-certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, addiction medicine, and obesity medicine. She directly cares for patients weekly. In April, she began a four-year term as governor for the eastern region of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians.
