The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education have named Dr. Richard Weinberger as deputy director for Allied and John Heinz Services and core faculty for the Internal Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency programs.
Dr. Richard Weinberger
He will oversee the development and execution of strategies to enhance The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s programs at Allied and John Heinz as deputy director. He will also assist the designated institutional official in assessing, implementing, and developing new graduate medical education programs and will serve on the Graduate Medical Education Committee.
In addition, Dr. Weinberger will serve as a core faculty member of the Internal Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency programs. In that role, he will treat patients and supervise resident physicians, medical students, and interprofessional health learners at The Wright Center for Community Health and Allied and John Heinz clinical learning environments. He will also see patients at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn.
Dr. Weinberger is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine and a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and American College of Osteopathic Internists. He has a long history with The Wright Center.
After graduating from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, he completed his internal medicine residency at the Scranton-Temple Residency program, the precursor to The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. For decades, he has worked in private practices in Lackawanna County, most recently with Horizon Medical Corp.
Penn State football players build stronger community with youth camp
Limitless NIL, with sponsorship support from The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, is bringing the second annual Nittany Lion Summer Impact Football Camp to Scranton on Saturday, July 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Riverfront Sports, 5 W. Olive St. Scranton.
Limitless NIL partners, My Center for Independent Living, also is simultaneously hosting an event catered for kids and young adults with disabilities from ages 10-21.
The youth camp is designed to foster personal growth, develop skills, and ignite passion for the game of football in boys and girls in fifth through eighth grades. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn under the guidance of members from the 2022 Rose Bowl Championship team, including Beau Pribula, Curtis Jacobs, Liam Clifford, Dom DeLuca, and many more.
“Together, we are committed to supporting young athletes in our local communities,” said Sean Clifford, Limitless NIL founder and president. “It’s our way of investing in the future and empowering the next generation of athletes and leaders.”
To register for the second annual Nittany Lion Summer Impact Football Camp, go to lvhn.org/ImpactAthlete. For more information and updates about the camp, visit limitlessnil.com and follow the team on social media @limitlessnil.
In addition to The Wright Center, the following local community organizations made the camp possible: Northeast Rehab, Century Dental, My Center for Independent Living, Allied Services, Fidelity Bank, Casey Dental, Gerrity’s, Lehigh Valley Health Network, PNC Bank, Montage Mountain Resorts, and PA Health and Wellness.
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement is hosting the second annual “Road to Recovery” car show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, at Nay Aug Park in support patients at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence. Organizers, from left, Kara Seitzinger, executive director, Public Affairs, The Wright Center; Wright Center Certified Medical Assistant Jillian Zaorski, Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence Case managers Robert Vanwert and James Lovallo, and Physician Assistant Sarah Marsh pose with a 1974 Z28 Camaro, which will be entered into the benefit show at the Miami Pavilion near the Everhart Museum.
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement will host the second annual “Road to Recovery” car show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, at Nay Aug Park.
The event is at the Miami Pavilion near the Everhart Museum. Registration, which costs $10 per vehicle and $5 per motorcycle, begins at 8 a.m. Admission is free. The family-friendly fundraiser also features prizes, music, raffles, food trucks, games, and much more. In addition, other addiction treatment facilities from around the region will be invited to set up informational tables at the event.
Just like last year, proceeds raised from the car show will be used to help patients of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence with transportation to and from appointments. Pennsylvania designated The Wright Center for Community Health as an Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence in 2017 – one of 50 in the state. Patients can visit any of The Wright Center’s primary care practices in Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wayne counties to connect with supportive certified recovery specialists, case managers, social workers, and medical providers who help them break the cycle of addiction through outpatient care.
“Transportation remains the highest need for our patients in Northeast Pennsylvania and those across the country,” said Kara Seitzinger, executive director of Public Affairs at The Wright Center. “The lack of reliable transportation is a real barrier to care. If you cannot get to your medical provider, you cannot receive the necessary care and support services The Wright Center has available for this patient population.”
In addition to supporting the Center of Excellence’s patients with transportation needs, the car show also raises awareness about the services The Wright Center for Community Health and other regional organizations offer, according to Scott Constantini, associate vice president of primary care and recovery services integration at The Wright Center.
“For me, the best part is the people who come out to support the cause,” Constantini said. “It’s bringing people together with a passion for recovery treatment.”
More information about the center and its addiction and recovery services is available at thewrightcenter.org/coe.
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.”
The Wright Center for Community Health is collaborating with Lackawanna Mobile X-Ray, Inc., to offer convenient mobile digital mammogram screenings at two locations in Lackawanna County.
Christen Marante, BSN, RN
The 15-minute appointments are available aboard a mobile unit at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice parking lot, 501 S. Washington Ave., from 9 a.m. to noon on July 12, Aug. 9, Sept. 6, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, and Dec. 6. The Mid Valley Practice parking lot, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn, is offering the specialty service from 1:30-4:45 p.m. on July 12, Aug. 9, Sept. 6, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, and Dec. 6.
To reserve your appointment, please contact Christen Marante, BSN, RN, associate vice president, Value-Based Performance Program, The Wright Center, at 570-591-5225 or marantec@TheWrightCenter.org. Participants are asked to bring insurance cards to their appointment.
“The Wright Center is proud to be able to partner with a longtime community provider of mobile diagnostics services to make life-saving mammograms more accessible to the communities we serve in the region,” said Marante. “Mammograms remain the most effective screening tool used by health care providers to find breast cancer in most women.”
Lackawanna Mobile X-Ray, Inc., is the Mid-Atlantic region’s most experienced, full-service mobile diagnostics services provider.
For more than 35 years, its highly trained specialists have been providing a wide range of mobile medical services on-site, including X-rays, EKG exams, ultrasounds, vascular studies, mammograms, and Holter monitors.
A Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, The Wright Center for Community Health’s patient-centered medical home is an essential community provider of safety-net primary and preventive health services, a state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence, and a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic. The Wright Center for Community Health’s nine locations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties include a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health that together serve more than 40,000 unique patients annually and ensures everyone in the service area has access to integrated, affordable, high-quality health services regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay.
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.
