The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce announced on Tuesday, Feb. 11, that Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, is the 2025 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient. Participating in the announcement, from left, are Carmen Passaniti, director of employee health and coordinator of continuing medical education, The Wright Center; Chelsea Chopko, chief of administrative support to the CEO, The Wright Center; Jennifer Walsh, Esq., senior vice president, executive counsel, and chief governance officer, The Wright Center; Bob Durkin, president, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, award recipient; Donna Barbetti, Mari Potts, director, membership and events, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Deborah Kolsovsky, chair, The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors; and Brian Ebersole, vice president of academic affairs and associate designated institutional official, The Wright Center.

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce announced on Tuesday, Feb. 11, that Linda Thomas-Hemak, M.D., FACP, FAAP, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, is the 2025 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient.

The ATHENA Award, sponsored locally by Michael A. Barbetti LLC Certified Public Accountants, honors an exceptional individual who has achieved excellence in their business or profession, has served the community in a meaningful way, and has assisted women in their attainment of professional goals and leadership skills. Dr. Thomas-Hemak embodies these characteristics wholeheartedly.

Dr. Thomas-Hemak promotes the advancement of women by leading boldly and strategically, fostering inclusive opportunities and career advancement, and mentoring opportunities for female leaders to pursue meaningful, transformative careers in health care.

The ATHENA Award will be presented to Dr. Thomas-Hemak at The Chamber’s International Women’s Day Breakfast, sponsored by The Honesdale National Bank, on Friday, March 7. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ScrantonChamber.com.

The ATHENA Award was first presented in 1982 in Lansing, Michigan, and has grown to include presentations to more than 5,000 individuals in hundreds of cities in the United States as well as in Canada, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom. The award takes the form of a hand-cast bronze sculpture, symbolizing the strength, courage, and wisdom of the recipient.

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that works to improve the area’s economic environment and quality of life by offering programs and services which stimulate economic growth, promote business prosperity and nurture educational opportunities. For more information about the Chamber, visit www.scrantonchamber.com.

Two employees of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Ryan White Clinic will join an advisory group collaborating with the state Department of Health, including its Division of HIV Health and Bureau of Communicable Diseases, as well as the University of Pittsburgh.

Sharon Whitebread, manager of medical case management at the Ryan White Clinic, and Deanna DiGiampaolo, the clinic’s outreach and prevention education coordinator, have been appointed to three-year terms on the HIV Planning Group. The advisory group panel brings together stakeholders from across the state to coordinate efforts in HIV care and prevention planning.

Currently, The Wright Center serves nearly 500 patients through its Ryan White clinical program, provides specialty health care, and has about 300 clients through its medical case management program. Some individuals are enrolled in both services.

A longtime employee of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education has been included in a statewide list honoring the most influential individuals who help their companies, organizations, and associations communicate their legislative priorities to elected officials.

Spadaro joined The Wright Center in February 2021, where she has played a pivotal role in advocating for federal and state policies impacting public health, particularly for community health centers. Her work addresses critical issues such as equitable investments in Federally Qualified Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alikes, sustainable funding for Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education programs, protections for the 340B Drug Pricing Program, health care workforce innovations, and greater health information interoperability, vaccine access, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for key primary care and preventive health services.

Under her leadership, The Wright Center has secured $4 million to support underserved communities, achieved gold-status Advocacy Center recognition, and amplified primary care clinicians’ voices through over 50 regulatory responses.

Before joining The Wright Center, Spadaro worked at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, where she led initiatives to curb the opioid epidemic, maternal mortality, gun violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

City & State is the premier multimedia news organization dedicated to covering Pennsylvania’s local and state politics and policy. To read the “Who’s Who in Government Relations” article, go to www.cityandstatepa.com.

Two of The Wright Center for Community Health’s clinics received commendations from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.

“Our continued certification as a Patient-Centered Medical Home reaffirms to the communities we serve that our team-based care approach and advanced technology deliver timely, effective care,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, senior vice president and chief medical and information officer at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “This model fosters strong partnerships between patients and clinicians, enabling more responsive and comprehensive health care. We’re honored to receive this recognition once again for our dedication and hard work.”

The NCQA, based in Washington, D.C., was founded in 1990 with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It seeks to improve health care quality through measurement, transparency, and accountability.

Dr. Stephen S. Long Jr., an internal medicine-pediatrics (Med-Peds) physician at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has been selected to serve a three-year term as an American College of Physicians (ACP) 2025 Well-being Champion for the Pennsylvania Chapter’s Eastern Region.

“I am truly privileged to be selected as an ACP Well-being Champion,” said Dr. Long, a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, native who is board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics. “Physician well-being is critical to providers’ health and the quality of care we deliver to our patients. I am committed to working alongside my colleagues to foster a supportive, sustainable work environment that prioritizes both professional fulfillment and patient-centered care.”

As the nation’s largest medical specialty organization, the ACP is dedicated to advancing health care quality and effectiveness by promoting excellence and professionalism in medicine. It advocates for quality patient care, education, and career fulfillment within internal medicine and its subspecialties. Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Center, serves as the governor of the ACP’s Pennsylvania Chapter, Eastern Region.

A University of Scranton graduate, Dr. Long earned his medical degree from the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and completed his Med-Peds residency at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland before returning to Northeast Pennsylvania.

Dr. Long is available for appointments with patients of all ages at The Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit, 1145 Northern Blvd., South Abington Township, on Mondays and Tuesdays and The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn, from Wednesdays through Fridays. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Long, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call the Clarks Summit location at 570-585-1300 or the Mid Valley location at 570-230-0019.

Dr. Long is married to Juliette Meyers, an Archbald native and art therapist at The Wright Center.

A longtime doctor, executive, and educator at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Medical Society Board of Trustees.

Dr. William Dempsey, a board-certified family medicine physician, medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit, and chief population health value-based care officer at The Wright Center, will represent doctors in Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties for a four-year term. The Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Board of Trustees, which meets quarterly, oversees the operations of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

He is also interested in using his time on the board as an opportunity to exchange ideas on new ways to address the addiction epidemic throughout the state and improve collaborative care for patients to better integrate behavioral health, oral health, and other services with primary care. Both topics are vitally important to The Wright Center’s mission.