Recognizing the risks posed by burnout among health care professionals and persistent physician attrition, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education recently joined the National Academy of Medicine’s “Change Maker Campaign for Health Workforce Well-Being.”

The academy launched the campaign in October. About 270 organizations, including The Wright Center enterprise, have joined the campaign, committing to institutionalizing well-being as a long-term value.

Other well-recognized campaign members include the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Geisinger, Penn Medicine, and the Veterans Health Administration.

The National Academy of Medicine introduced the campaign to further the goals of its “National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being,” an initiative begun in 2022 and aimed at driving “collective action to strengthen health workforce well-being and restore the health of the nation.”

“The capacity and well-being of the U.S. health workforce has been under threat for years by an epidemic of burnout, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this systems issue,” according to the academy. “Now more nurses, physicians, and state and local public health department employees than ever are considering leaving their professions.”

Addressing the issue is a “shared responsibility,” according to the plan’s promoters at the National Academy of Medicine.

The Wright Center – which provides graduate medical education training opportunities for more than 245 resident and fellow physicians annually – has, in recent years, amplified its efforts to prepare doctors and other clinicians to be resilient, long-term professionals.

To support the well-being of its workforce, for example, The Wright Center has embraced initiatives such as mental health first aid training and the statewide “CEOs Against Stigma” campaign, both of which help to broaden awareness about depression and mental illness in the workplace. The Wright Center also is pursuing certification in the Sanctuary Model, a proven strategy for enhancing the workplace environment through the direct address of the effects of trauma.

Similarly, The Wright Center has introduced employee wellness programs such as recurring meditation sessions, reflection and decompression sessions using artistic expression as a medium, and monthly visits by a therapy dog. These and other activities give clinicians and support staffers a chance to momentarily break from their workday routines and de-stress.

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, center, received the Hometown Scholar Advocate of the Year award during a clinical practice committee meeting at the National Association of Community Health Centers Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. Participating in the program are Douglas Spegman, M.D., left, board member, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education; and Gary L. Cloud, Ph.D., MBA, right, vice president of university partnerships at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona. The award recognizes Dr. Thomas-Hemak for her passionate, mission-driven efforts to identify and mentor future physicians, dentists, physician assistants, and other health care professionals from Northeast Pennsylvania.

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, recently received the Hometown Scholars Advocate of the Year award in recognition of her passionate, mission-driven efforts to identify and mentor future physicians, dentists, physician assistants, and other health care professionals who are from Northeast Pennsylvania.

Dr. Thomas received the award on Sunday, Feb. 11, during a clinical practice committee meeting at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C.

The Hometown Scholars program is a collaborative effort between NACHC and A.T. Still University. The program was established to identify and recruit individuals from areas served by community health centers to pursue professional degrees and become community-minded healers, including physicians, dentists, and physician assistants, who are inclined to return to work in those or similar medically underserved communities in the United States.

“The National Association of Community Health Centers and A.T. Still University have a strategy to dare children to dream, mentor them along their pathway into the health professions, and endorse those with the heart to return and work in underserved communities,” said Gary L. Cloud, Ph.D., MBA, vice president of university partnerships at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona. “Dr. Thomas-Hemak and The Wright Center have been exemplary supporters of that strategy encouraging community members, patients, and employees to participate and serve as role models for aspiring healers.”

At participating community health centers, leaders are encouraged to intentionally identify and nominate qualified and motivated premedical, predental, and pre-health professional candidates from their communities for Hometown Scholars program consideration, providing each with a letter of support. This endorsement, in turn, may give the candidate advanced applicant consideration when applying to medical school or dental school at A.T. Still University’s programs in Arizona or its physician assistant program in California.

“It’s been a privilege for me, on behalf of The Wright Center for Community Health, to nominate individuals from Northeast Pennsylvania to be our health center’s endorsed Hometown Scholars,” said Thomas-Hemak. “Because of the Hometown Scholars program, we’ve been able to identify and mentor aspiring physicians, dentists, and physician assistants from the communities we serve and help them pursue their professional goals. Such pipeline programs promote career access equity, and they restore our community’s public health-minded health care workforce.

“I’m particularly pleased that many of The Wright Center-endorsed scholars are women for whom this program has provided real opportunities,” she added.

For The Wright Center, its years-long participation in the Hometown Scholars program represents another way it works to sustain and grow a pipeline for primary care workforce development in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region, supporting career growth for people who have knowledge about and interest in serving low-income and other traditionally underserved populations.

To learn more and nominate someone to be a Wright Center-endorsed Hometown Scholar, please call its Office of Clerkships at 570-591-5116 or visit TheWrightCenter.org/hometown-scholars.

Mid Valley maintains distinction for Behavioral Health Integration

The Patient-Centered Medical Home model is designed to allow patients and their care teams to build better relationships, help patients to more effectively control chronic conditions, and improve the overall patient experience.

In addition, the model has been shown to increase staff satisfaction and reduce health care costs.

For the public, the NCQA accreditation is a signal that The Wright Center for Community Health maintains a focus on quality improvement and has key processes in place so its clinics are prioritizing the needs of patients.

“We are proud to retain this recognition seal at our four larger practices,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, chief medical and information officer of The Wright Center for Community Health. “The NCQA seal lets the public know we are doing all we can to put patients at the forefront of care, including by opening these clinics outside traditional business hours to meet people’s primary care needs

In particular, Dr. Sheth credited the work being done by The Wright Center’s employees to use a team-based delivery system and information technology to coordinate care and get the best results possible for patients.

The Mid Valley Practice’s certification carries an additional NCQA distinction in behavioral health integration. This recognition is for practices that have proven they have the appropriate care team in place to manage the broad needs of patients with conditions related to behavioral health.

“Many times, behavioral health conditions are first identified by a primary care provider,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA president. “So, adding behavioral health care services in a primary care setting is a real opportunity for patients. It knocks down barriers to behavioral care and improves overall health.”

The Wright Center 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, typically giving patients 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 help people guard against a potential triple threat of respiratory infections this fall and winter, The Wright Center for Community Health is offering access to newly updated vaccines for flu, RSV and the latest COVID-19 strain.

Here’s what to know about the availability at The Wright Center of each vaccine product.

• Flu vaccines. Updated flu vaccines for the 2023-24 winter season are in stock at all of the health center’s primary care practices in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. Health officials recommend annual flu shots for everyone 6 months and older, with few exceptions.
  • Experts advise that people in the United States get vaccinated between now and Halloween for maximum protection during the winter holidays when influenza cases tend to spike. All flu vaccines available in the U.S. for this season are the quadrivalent variety, meaning they are designed to protect against four different flu viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• RSV vaccines. Earlier this year, federal health officials approved two vaccines for use in people ages 60 and older to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. The Wright Center currently has the Pfizer-manufactured vaccine, Abrysvo, in stock at all of its practices to administer to seniors who decide, in consultation with a health care provider, if the shot is appropriate for them. Adults most likely to benefit from the vaccine include those living in long-term care facilities and those who have underlying health conditions, such as heart or lung disease or weakened immune systems.
  • The new RSV vaccines for seniors might require a prescription from a doctor, according to published reports, and its cost may vary based on the patient’s health insurance plan. Some plans might not pay for the shot. Anyone concerned about coverage should reach out to their insurance company for guidance.

• COVID-19 vaccines. As shipments arrive of the most recently approved COVID-19 vaccine, which is effective against the now-dominant EG.5 strain, The Wright Center will release additional public announcements. Watch for details to be shared soon via the health center’s website and social media channels.
  • Guidance about staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and proper dosing is available on the CDC’s website.

If you have questions about any vaccine, talk with your primary care physician or another trusted health care provider. The clinical team at The Wright Center is available to provide fact-based advice and proven strategies for coping with respiratory viruses and other issues that affect health and wellness.

Learn more about The Wright Center’s mission and integrated health care services by visiting TheWrightCenter.org. 

Innovative keynote speaker, classical violinist, and composer Kai Kight will deliver the inspiring commencement address, “Compose Your World,” during The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s 44th annual commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 24 at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, 420 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, beginning at 4 p.m. 

As a classical violinist turned innovative composer, Kight uses music as a metaphor to inspire individuals and organizations around the world to compose paths of imagination and fulfillment. He is on a mission to spark a global mindset shift in which ingenuity is the norm and not the exception. 

“A musical masterpiece is a unique, alive, just right, timeless blessing that captures and connects the fundamental and essential stories of the musical composer, the music, and the audience,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, FACP, FAAP, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “It remains relevant across time, contemporary circumstances, cultures, and generations. It speaks to humanity about our interdependence and our connectedness to each other and the universe.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Class of 2023 has 80 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). 

Similar to Kight, The Wright Center sparks innovation in the delivery 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 our communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.