The Wright Center for Community Health has been recognized by the American Heart Association and American Medical Association for its commitment to improving blood pressure (BP) control rates, earning Silver-level recognition as part of Target: BP.

“Optimal blood pressure management is key for better cardiovascular health and critical today, when heart disease and stroke continue to be leading causes of death for adults in the U.S.,” said Jignesh Y. Sheth, M.D., FACP, MPH, senior vice president and chief medical and information officer at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “High blood pressure is a leading risk factor of heart disease and stroke that can often be prevented or managed if diagnosed and treated properly.”

Target: BP is a national initiative formed by the American Heart Association and American Medical Association in response to the high prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure, the initiative aims to help health care organizations and care teams, at no cost, improve blood pressure control rates through an evidence-based quality improvement program and recognizes organizations, such as The Wright Center for Community Health, that are committed to improving blood pressure control.

“By committing to helping more people in Northeast Pennsylvania control their blood pressure and reduce their risks for future heart disease and stroke, The Wright Center for Community Health is taking a key step to helping more people live longer, healthier lives,” said Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, Ph.D., MHS, RN, FAHA, Target: BP advisory group volunteer and associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. “The Wright Center for Community Health’s participation in the Target: BP initiative shows its dedication to turning clinical guidelines into lifelines for patients and their families.”

To learn more about the initiative, go to TargetBP.org.

As a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and safety-net provider, The Wright Center serves vulnerable and medically underserved populations, regardless of age, ethnic background, ZIP code, insurance status, or ability to pay. It accepts all insurance plans and offers a sliding-fee discount program based on federal poverty guidelines that consider family size and income. No patient is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.

Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center operates 11 primary and preventive care community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, as well as a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, that deliver whole-person primary health services. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services.

A local physician with ties to hospitals in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre will join The Wright Center for Community Health’s new primary care center in Tunkhannock, which opened on Sept. 9.

He will join a staff of health care professionals at The Wright Center’s new primary care center in the former Tyler Memorial Hospital, including physician assistant Mallory Racoski. To schedule an appointment, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-591-5299.

Dr. Novroski has worked as a family medicine physician in Dunmore since 2021. He also has experience as an emergency department physician at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

The Shavertown resident earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at then-Wilkes College and his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He then completed a Wyoming Valley Family Practice residency and subsequently served as a member of the residency’s faculty for more than two years.

The Wright Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike with a growing network of primary care centers throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center operates 12 community health centers, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health. The locations serve patients of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.

The event at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, 138 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. will include brief comments from the project’s organizers as well as area residents who completed and benefited from the career training program.

Project PROGRESS, funded in part through an Appalachian Regional Commission INSPIRE grant, was a three-year effort led by The Wright Center in collaboration with partners across a multicounty area heavily impacted by the ongoing opioid crisis. The acronym PROGRESS stands for Providing Recovery Opportunities for Growth, Education, and Sustainable Success.

“That ecosystem requires us to build links among not only recovery communities and health and human services programs, but also many others, including transportation, public safety, housing, education, and employment providers.”

The Project PROGRESS grant period officially ends in September. However, a website at ProjectProgressNEPA.org, will remain active for at least three years, providing links to helpful resources on topics such as overcoming stigma, job hunting while in recovery, and finding recovery-friendly workplaces.

The Wright Center collaborated with Luzerne County Community College, the Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center, The Institute, and the Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance to deliver the recovery-to-work initiative in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.

“There is a great need for peer support in addiction recovery services and a shortage of certified recovery specialists in Northeast Pennsylvania,” said Susan Spry, associate vice president of academic affairs at Luzerne County Community College. “Certified recovery specialists offer crucial support and resources to those seeking to live a life in recovery. Project PROGRESS and our community partners have played a vital role in addressing the stigma associated with recovery and creating a pathway for individuals to access the training they need to fill these important professional positions.”

“Professional certified recovery specialists play a valuable role in addiction recovery services in Northeast Pennsylvania,” added Mary K. Murphy, a certified recovery specialist trainer at Luzerne County Community College. “Their experience, strength, and hope, combined with the tools and education provided by Project PROGRESS, empower certified recovery specialists to assist individuals on their journey to recovery from addiction.”

Assistance and guidance were also provided by the AllOne Foundation, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, the Wayne County Commissioners, the Wayne Economic Development Corporation, and the Office of Congressman Matt Cartwright.

Individuals who met the eligibility requirements to enroll in the certified recovery specialist training were able to take the class for free. The grant project also covered the cost of their certification examination fees.

A certified recovery specialist is someone who has overcome substance use disorder and who works as part of a multidisciplinary care team to help other individuals achieve and maintain long-term sobriety. Using their own life experiences, certified recovery specialists mentor, motivate, and advocate to ensure patients are supported on their journey toward wellness.

“The Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (NE PA AHEC) was excited to participate in Project PROGRESS,” said Debra Youngfelt, executive director of NE PA AHEC. “By offering community health worker training, we provided individuals in recovery with the opportunity to gain new skills and expand their employment options. The significance of certified recovery specialists and community health workers in our communities, along with the invaluable lived experiences they bring to those in recovery, cannot be overstated as the demand for these roles continues to grow.

“Project PROGRESS was a tremendous success, not only by providing training and employment opportunities to many in recovery, but also by filling a gap in the continuum of care for individuals with substance use disorders.”

Thanks to the partnership with the Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance, Project PROGRESS was able to extend its reach to rural counties and, in turn, attract additional candidates into the training program.

“Our unique relationship with Project PROGRESS transformed lives, strengthened our communities, and addressed the stigma that oftentimes prevents people from all walks of life from addressing their substance use disorder and living a life in recovery,” said Katheryne Hait, SHRM CP, chief operating officer at Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance. “I am extremely proud of the lasting partnerships we forged with several community organizations and the members of our communities who are now leading by example in their roles as certified recovery specialists.”

Today, employers in Pennsylvania are seeking to fill these professional positions in a range of business settings, such as recovery and treatment centers, prisons, hospitals, and human services and health care settings.

Dr. Stephen S. Long Jr., an internal medicine-pediatrics (Med-Peds) physician, recently joined The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. He is now accepting patients of all ages at two of The Wright Center for Community Health’s primary care community health centers.

Dr. Long is available for appointments at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Clarks Summit primary care center at 1145 Northern Blvd. in South Abington Township on Mondays and Tuesdays and the Mid Valley primary care center at 5 S. Washington Ave. in 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 has also embraced an institutional academic leadership role in faculty development which will allow him to thoughtfully guide and contribute to the professional growth and development of his physician colleagues, while fostering an environment of continuous lifelong learning and improvement.

Dr. Long lives in Moscow with his wife, Juliette Meyers, an Archbald native recently hired by The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education as an art therapist. A Valley View High School graduate, she received a master’s degree in art therapy and a bachelor’s degree in communications and media studies from Marywood University.

As a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and safety-net provider of whole-person primary health services, The Wright Center for Community Health serves vulnerable and medically underserved populations of all ages, regardless of ethnic background, ZIP code, insurance status, or ability to pay. It accepts all insurance plans and offers a sliding-fee discount program based on federal poverty guidelines that consider family size and income. No patient is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.

Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center for Community Health operates 11 comprehensive primary and preventive care community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, as well as a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services, including medication-assisted therapy. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education was established in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, a community-based internal medicine residency. Today, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education are one of the largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums in the nation.

Together with consortium stakeholders, The Wrights Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education train residents and fellows in a community-based, community-needs-responsive primary care workforce development model to advance their shared mission.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s residency and fellowship programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The Wright Center for Community Health’s Advanced Education General Dentistry Residency under New York University Langone is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-866-3017.

These historical documents from May 14, 1827, are from the collection of the Lackawanna Historical Society 2023.14.46 A/B, and detail the 800-acre land grant awarded in 1797 by the state of Connecticut to New England native Deacon William A. Clark, the founder of Clarks Green and Clarks Summit boroughs, in recognition of his heroic service during the Revolutionary War. VFW Park in Dickson City, which sits on part of this original land, has been chosen by The Wright Center for Community Health as the site to plant its certified Liberty Tree from America250PA and the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, also called the Pennsylvania Freemasons, because of the park’s deep historical ties to the American Revolution.

The Wright Center for Community Health will receive a certified Liberty Tree, a living symbol of American independence, from America250PA and the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, also called the Pennsylvania Freemasons, that will be planted at VFW Park in Dickson City. In celebration of the United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary, this historic tulip poplar will be the only Liberty Tree to take root in Lackawanna County as part of a statewide effort to honor the nation’s founding.

The public is invited to attend a dedication ceremony for the Liberty Tree at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, rain or shine, at the park, located at Jermyn and Walker streets in the borough.

The tree, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Freemasons, is part of a larger initiative that began in the fall of 2021 to plant 67 Liberty Trees — one in each of Pennsylvania’s counties — by 2026, as part of America250PA, a program coordinating statewide events in observance of the United States Semiquincentennial. Each tree will have a Liberty Tree Project plaque beside it, inscribed with the names of the Liberty Tree recipient, America250PA, and the Pennsylvania Freemasons.

The saplings are propagated from a scion of a historic 400-year-old tulip poplar, the last known surviving Liberty Tree, that once stood at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. The original Liberty Tree, an iconic elm in Boston, served as a gathering place for the Sons of Liberty, who convened beneath its branches to plan their resistance to British rule in the years leading up to the American Revolution. In 1775, British soldiers and Loyalists cut down and burned the Boston Liberty Tree, hoping to quell the growing rebellion. Undeterred, patriots across the 13 colonies designated new Liberty Trees, each one symbolizing hope and freedom.

To receive the Liberty Tree, The Wright Center needed to locate publicly accessible land in Lackawanna County that has historical ties to the American Revolution where the tulip poplar could be planted, explained Gina Lettieri, The Wright Center’s archivist.

After extensive research, Lettieri determined that Dickson City’s VFW Park was an ideal location.

New England native Deacon William A. Clark, founder of Clarks Green and Clarks Summit boroughs and a hero at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary War, was awarded 800 acres of land in Pennsylvania by Connecticut in 1797 as a token of gratitude for his service. Lettieri’s research uncovered that the VFW Park in Dickson City sits on those original 800 acres.

After securing support from Dickson City officials, Lettieri submitted The Wright Center’s application for the Liberty Tree.

“By planting our Liberty Tree at VFW Park in Dickson City, we are not only commemorating American history but also reinforcing The Wright Center’s commitment to improving the health and welfare of our communities,” said Lettieri. “This historic tree will stand for the next 250 years and beyond as a symbol of The Wright Center’s noble mission.”

The Pennsylvania Freemasons, the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world with more than 3.5 million members, including 86,000 in the commonwealth, have planted five certified Liberty Trees locally, one each in Carbon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties.