The Board of Directors for The Wright Center for Community Health (TWCCH) conducted its annual meeting at the new integrated clinical, educational and administrative hub at 501 S. Washington Ave. in Scranton on Jan. 31, 2020. TWCCH was designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration as of June 1, 2019; 76% of this board of directors is composed of a majority of patients and other users of TWCCH’s services, exceeding federal requirements. Carlon Preate, who chaired the board during its inaugural year as an FQHC Look-Alike, was honored for his service with a crystal gavel presented in touching tribute by incoming Chair Gerard Geoffroy. Mr. Preate now assumes the role of Immediate Past Chair.

Mr. Preate, a Clarks Summit resident and TWCCH patient, has more than 40 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant in Northeast Pennsylvania. Prior to retirement, he supervised operations of a regional branch of Parente Beard LLC.

Mr. Geoffroy, a Jermyn resident, has been a patient of TWCCH for more than 20 years and is a fervent advocate of the patient’s voice at the governance table. His passion for health care was ignited while caring for his late wife during her illness, and he continues to advocate for patient education and quality health care delivery. He has worked in the fields of mental health and education for more than 40 years, retiring as an Adjunct Professor from the University of Scranton. 

The Wright Center for Community Health also recently welcomed the following new directors to the board:

• Tracy Hunt, Assistant Vice President of In-Home Services at Allied Services Integrated Health System
• Deborah Kolsovsky, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Institutional Advisory and Retirement Solutions at PNC Bank
• Ellen Walko, a retired Speech Therapist from Susquehanna Community School District

These recently appointed board members joined valued existing directors: William Waters, Ph.D. (Vice Chair); John Kearney (Treasurer); Mary Marrara (Secretary); James Gavin; Mary Ann Chindemi; LeeAnn M. Eschbach, Ph.D.; Patricia DeSouza; Susan Duckworth; Melissa Simrell; the Honorable Edward G. Staback; Kim Heritscko;  Francis Stevens; Lewis Marcus; Jeffrey Metz; and Jody Cordaro.

“The joyful and most welcomed, formal appointment of my partner Dr. Jumee Barooah as The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Designated Institutional Official is a notable landmark achievement for our organization and my executive tenure. Through her early years with our organization as an internal medicine resident and her subsequently joining as clinical faculty, she blossomed in her career as the Ambulatory Associate Program Director of our Internal Medicine Residency and Medical Director of the Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley Practice. Jumee is a fabulous testament of delivery of our mission to improve the health and welfare of the communities we serve through innovative and responsive health services and sustainable renewal of an inspired and competent workforce that is privileged to serve. She is well respected and loved by her patients and their families and our learners, as well as all of us who have the privilege to work with her. Her commitment to lifelong learning demonstrated through her impressive academic achievements, including her pioneering leadership and board certification in Addiction Medicine, is simply awesome. As our physician DIO, Jumee will be an incredible, collaborative and high integrity ambassador of our Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium throughout our community-based partnership training network. We are so happy and proud of her,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health and President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

“I have been privileged to work alongside Dr. Jumee Barooah, who is a fellow graduate of The Wright Center’s residency program, and watch her grow along with our organization. As a respected colleague and also a personal friend, I’m proud to support her in this expanded role,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, Chief Medical Officer of The Wright Center for Community Health and Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “Training at The Wright Center under the leadership of Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak has been an extraordinary journey. She really made me understand the strength of primary care in serving the community and building those relationships. I will work with our resident and fellowship learners as well as our provider faculty to help them all achieve their educational and professional goals and to continue to grow our programs. Spreading the word about The Wright Center across the country will be key to reaching our 10-year vision, which is to be recognized by the President of the United States as the Health and Human Services gold standard of a community-based model for primary health care and integrated workforce development. Part of my vision as the new DIO is building up an alumni network and outreach so that we can all connect and support each other. There is a huge gap in primary care not only in Pennsylvania, but also nationwide, so I feel communication will allow us to work together to identify and fulfill the needs of both our local communities and those throughout the country. I’m very humbled that I have been offered this opportunity. I have seen how much The Wright Center has grown since my early years with the organization as a resident, and I feel ready to assume this role and to further the expansion of the next generation of providers and integrated primary care,” said Dr. Jumee Barooah, new DIO of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley was recently recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) with a Distinction in Behavioral Health Integration. “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.” Based on the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) care model, practices that follow medical evidence to deliver high-quality, coordinated care and are committed to continuous improvement over time are eligible for a variety of NCQA distinctions. According to the NCQA, the Distinction in Behavioral Health Integration “helps practices provide comprehensive whole person care that acknowledges the behavioral health needs of the individual beyond the core requirements of NCQA PCMH Recognition. The Distinction in Behavioral Health Integration calls for a primary care setting to have a care team (care managers, psychiatrists, or other practitioners) in place to manage the broad needs of patients with conditions related to behavioral health, focusing on the use of evidence-based protocols and ongoing quality measurement and improvement. Integrating behavioral health into primary care can improve access, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.” The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley integrates a variety of healthcare services — including behavioral health, addiction/recovery, oral health, nutrition counseling and more — into primary care for a whole-patient approach to wellness. Its full-service, on-site behavioral health suite consists of licensed social workers, case managers, certified recovery specialists, psychiatrists, psychiatry resident physicians and a certified registered nurse practitioner. The team continues to expand and add new roles to meet patient needs.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded The Wright Center for Community Health $999,981 to implement a Rural Communities Opioid Response Program. The goal of the program is to establish a comprehensive, integrated approach to addressing the opioid epidemic.

Working within a consortium of community funders, The Wright Center for Community Health will extend naloxone administration training, opioid pregnancy recovery and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs in Wayne and Susquehanna counties, leveraging existing telemedicine networks, behavioral health, Ryan White Infectious Disease/viral hepatitis C (HCV) service lines and its state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence (OUD-COE). The organization will lead the effort to establish medication-assisted treatment programs within each county, leveraging a network of MAT-waivered providers, case managers, certified recovery specialists, mental health counselors and psychosocial supports.

“We are pleased to serve as lead partner in this consortium to strengthen and expand substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services in rural areas. Activities will focus on Wayne and Susquehanna counties and include medication assisted treatment, case management and social supports. We are grateful for these federal resources that will help us overcome barriers to access in our rural communities,” stated Maria Montoro-Edwards, PhD, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Grants, The Wright Center for Community Health.

Key partners within the consortium include Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc., Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Commission.

Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Executive Director Jeff Zerechak added, “The grant will allow the agency to also provide crucial case management and recovery specialist services to Wayne County residents in need. During the next three years, this grant will translate into an additional $100,000 for Wayne County.”

On August 6, 2019, staff, partners, patients and local representatives gathered for an open house and ribbon cutting at The Wright Center for Community Health’s newest practice at 2 Sharpe Street, Kingston.

This practice, previously recognized as the Wilkes-Barre Family Medicine Residency/Wilkes-Barre Academic Medicine and operated by Commonwealth Health, is a full-service family medicine practice in the First Hospital building, Kingston. The Wright Center for Community Health assumed ownership and clinical operations in July 2019 in alignment with its plan to expand clinical service offerings into Luzerne County and support its expanding family medicine residency. New patients of all ages are welcome at this practice.

The Wright Center for Community Health is a safety-net provider of primary care, focused on delivering right-venue, high-quality affordable health services to all patients regardless of insured status. Most insurance plans, including Medical Assistance, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, CHIP, Medicare and more are accepted. If a patient does not have health insurance and is not eligible for Medical Assistance, they may qualify for a sliding fee scale.

The Wright Center for Community Health Kingston Practice is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am-5pm, including all major holidays.

The Wright Center for Community Health has been selected to receive a $1.5 million grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget and the Wolf Administration.

This award is a result of the organization’s pursuit of and commitment to providing high-quality, accessible, safety-net healthcare services, concurrent with bolstering community-based training opportunities for our vital healthcare workforce in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Wright Center for Community Health will expand to a new 41,900-square-foot clinical, learning and administrative complex at 501 S. Washington Avenue in Scranton in late summer/early fall 2019. The project will generate more than 40 full-time jobs in Scranton and the practice will ultimately be open seven days/week, including evenings. It will house expanded primary care, behavioral health/addiction, oral health and infectious disease teams to allow for greater patient accessibility to integrated care.

This location will also house administrative staff supporting The Wright Center for Community Health’s affiliated entity, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, as well as family medicine, internal medicine and psychiatry residents along with interprofessional students.

Community health and economic development goals for this facility include:

• expansion of our region’s available primary care services with 33 adult and pediatric exam rooms and 4 dental operatories;
• integration of mental/behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment and recovery services through The Wright Center for Community Health’s existing Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence program, PacMAT initiative, and Healthy MOMS program; and
• integration of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and infectious disease treatment through The Wright Center for Community Health’s existing federally funded Ryan White clinic.

“This award from Governor Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget is a powerful demonstration of our state leadership’s commitment to expanding access to right-venue, nondiscriminatory, high-quality, affordable and integrated primary medical, dental and behavioral health services for the citizens of Northeastern Pennsylvania. We are humbled to be a part of actualizing such valiant vision from our state leadership, and we are very grateful for this empowering investment into our mission and into our community. It will allow us, while expanding integrated primary care access and revitalizing an economically distressed block within South Scranton, to joyfully prepare our future physician leaders and interprofessional healthcare workforce,” said Linda Thomas-Hemak, MD, FACP, FAAP, CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health and President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “We are energized by this force multiplying mission investment to advance nationally significant primary care delivery and workforce development innovations to more responsively serve patients and develop the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. We wholeheartedly thank Governor Wolf, Senator John Blake and our state leadership for placing their trust in The Wright Center as we collectively strive to improve healthcare and medical education in our region and in our nation.”

The Wright Center for Community Health was designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike (FQLA) in May 2019, and currently provides a comprehensive medical home to more than 20,000 patients, over 40% of whom are uninsured, underinsured or low-income. Strong affiliations with local hospitals and systems, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, federally qualified health center (FQHC) partners, and community nonprofits support and enhance its mission delivery. This project will enable services for an additional 7,000 patients quickly and ultimately establish the capacity to double the size of the patient population currently served by The Wright Center for Community Health’s team.

Medical students from A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) will also begin rotating at this new practice beginning in July 2020, an opportunity that has potential to significantly enhance the provider pipeline within Northeastern Pennsylvania.