The Wright Center for Community Health is participating in a multi-year grant awarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to improve access to whole-person primary health services for people with co-occurring mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders.
The Wright Center is one of multiple primary care sites in Pennsylvania participating in the five-year project to promote the use of collaborative care, an evidence-based model that enhances the coordination of behavioral health services in primary care settings. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded DHS $4 million in funding for the project, which will be facilitated with assistance from the UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care, a nonprofit research organization that is housed within the UPMC Insurance Services Division.
Lou Strazzeri, director of behavioral health integration, social, and case management services at The Wright Center for Community Health.
The funding will establish care models in Allegheny, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. The model will be tested across a wide demographic area, including urban, suburban, and rural communities.
“Individuals living with co-occurring mental health conditions and substance use disorders lack access to behavioral health services, so there’s a need to improve access to whole-person primary health services,” said Lou Strazzeri, director of behavioral health integration, social, and case management services at The Wright Centers for Community Health. “We are perfectly positioned to participate in this project because our community health centers offer patients the convenience of going to a single location for integrated medical, dental, and mental health services, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services.”
The Wright Center, based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, offers affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services at its growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. It is also a Pennsylvania-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence, offering specialized recovery services on an outpatient basis, including medication-assisted treatment.
The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and the American College of Physicians’ Pennsylvania (PA-ACP), Eastern Chapter, gave away more than 60 bags of nonperishable food and seasonal clothing items during their second annual Spring into a Day of Giving Pop-Up Food Pantry on March 14 at Weston Field in Scranton.
More than 100 members of the community also picked up information about dental and behavioral health services available at The Wright Center; “Bags of Warmth” containing cozy socks, a winter hat, gloves, and more; doses of Naloxone, a life-saving medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose; information about health insurance; and other community resources from representatives of Lackawanna County and Scranton City government.
“With food prices rising, we know there are many individuals in our communities who are finding it harder to feed their families,” said Gerri McAndrew, director of development and relations for community outreach and co-director of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement. “We also brought our community health workers to provide information about other kinds of help we can provide – including transportation to and from doctor appointments, assistance with utility bills and housing, and applying for health insurance.”
This was the second time The Wright Center and PA-ACP collaborated to host a pop-up event at Weston Field. Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, serves as governor of the PA-ACP, Eastern Chapter. Staff from The Wright Center, along with resident and fellow physicians from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, joined members of the PA-ACP, Eastern Chapter, to volunteer at the event.
“I think this event was bigger and better this year,” said Channel Kearse, an outreach coordinator with the city of Scranton who also participated in last year’s event. “I’m glad we can participate and let people know that the help they’re getting here is available year-round.”
For Dr. Sunny Kumar, an Internal Medicine resident physician at The Wright Center, participating in the event and meeting community members reminded him of the work he did back home in Pakistan.
“My dream is to serve the community, not just as a doctor but as a volunteer,” Dr. Kumar said. “Helping people in the community has always been important to me, and I’m happy to be involved in this work in Scranton, which has become my home.”
Weston Field hosted the second annual Spring into a Day of Giving Pop-Up Food Pantry in March. Volunteers from The Wright Center at the program, included from left, Joe Kelly, community health worker; Linda Thomas- Hemak, president and CEO; Vanessa Bono, community health worker; Kathleen Doyle, director of patient-centered services; and Nicole Sekelsky, director of needs-responsive outreach, engagement, and enrollment.
More than 100 people attended the second annual Spring into a Day of Giving Pop-Up Food Pantry hosted by The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and the American College of physicians’ Pennsylvania (PA-ACP) Eastern Chapter at Weston Field on March 14. Participating in the program, from left, are Internal Medicine resident Dr. Dhruv Patel, Wright Center President and CEO Linda Thomas- Hemak, and Internal Medicine residents Drs. Omaima Chaudhary and Sunny Kumar.
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) will hold its third annual charity golf tournament on Monday, May 19, at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic to support underserved and under-resourced individuals throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.
The captain-and-crew Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament will feature a shotgun start at 10 a.m., following registration from 8:30-9:45 a.m. The driving range opens at 8:30 a.m.
Dr. Robert E. Wright
The tournament will honor The Wright Center’s namesake founder, Dr. Robert E. Wright, who will serve as this year’s honorary chair. Recognizing the growing physician shortage in Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond, he established the Scranton-Temple Residency Program in 1976 with community support and a Primary Care Workforce Development Grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Manpower.
The program, designed to attract medical school graduates to the region for internal medicine residencies, welcomed its first six resident physicians in 1977. Over nearly five decades, The Wright Center has expanded its accredited programs to include residencies in Family Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and fellowships in Cardiovascular Disease, Gastroenterology, and Geriatrics.
Today, The Wright Center is one of the largest HRSA-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety- et Consortiums in the nation. In recognition of Dr. Wright’s contributions to the community, the Scranton-Temple Residency Program’s Board of Directors voted in 2010 to rename the organization in his honor.
Dr. Wright also helped start the region’s first medical school, now known as Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, where he served as interim president and dean. The medical school – the first to open in Pennsylvania in more than 40 years and the first to be located in Northeast Pennsylvania – developed out of a forward-thinking conversation among Dr. Wright and several members of the residency program’s board of directors.
“Dr. Robert Wright is truly a visionary leader who has had a profound impact on graduate medical education and the delivery of affordable, high-quality whole-person primary health services in the communities we serve,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “We are honored to deliver our mighty mission every day in his name, and we are thrilled that our charity golf tournament will afford him the recognition he so richly deserves by highlighting and celebrating his countless contributions to the health and welfare of our region.”
Dr. Thomas-Hemak and Mary Marrara, co-chair of TWCPCE and secretary of The Wright Center for Community Health Boards of Directors, serve as co-chairs.
TWCPCE aims to improve the health of our communities through education, advocacy, and patient-centered services that help individuals overcome food insecurity, homelessness, limited access to educational opportunities, a lack of financial resources, and other factors that can affect an individual’s health and well-being. TWCPCE’s team and volunteers hold community outreach activities, including nutritious food distributions of nonperishable items and fresh produce, coat and winterwear giveaways, back-to-school distributions of backpacks and classroom supplies, health fairs, blood drives, and other special mission-driven projects.
Last year’s charity golf tournament raised nearly $41,000. The tournament is named after the late William M. Waters, Ph.D., the vice chair of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Board of Directors and co-chair of TWCPCE. He passed away on July 21, 2022.
The entry fee for golfers is $275 or $1,100 for a foursome, which includes a golf cart, green fee, lunch, and beverage service on the course, followed by a 3 p.m. cocktail hour and 4 p.m. dinner. Tickets for the dinner only are $100.
Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin, longest drive, and a special prize for a hole-in-one: a 2025 Honda CR-V, courtesy of Matt Burne Honda, an event sponsor. The Prescription Center is the tournament’s presenting sponsor; other sponsors include PNC Bank, Pennsylvania Paper & Supply, Hospice of Sacred Heart, Christ the King Parish, and The Kearney Family Fund.
Various sponsorship levels, starting at just $300, are still available for the tournament. For sponsorship details and inquiries, go to TheWrightCenter.org/golf-2025 or contact Holly Przasnyski, TWCPCE director and board coordinator for TWCPCE and The Wright Center for Community Health, at [email protected] or 570-209-3275.
The third annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament, in support of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE), is Monday, May 19, at Glenmaura National Golf Club. This year’s tournament will honor The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education’s namesake founder, Dr. Robert E. Wright. The tournament committee includes, front row from left, Dr. Erin McFadden, deputy chief medical officer of The Wright Center and medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton and Scranton Counseling Center; Gail Cicerini, board member, TWCPCE; Mary Marrara, co-chair, TWCPCE Board, and secretary, The Wright Center for Community Health Board; Dr. William Dempsey, chief population health value-based care officer of The Wright Center and medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit; Michael Ruane, and Deborah Kolsovsky chair, The Wright Center for Community Health Board; second row, Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and co-chair, TWCPCE; Gerard P. Joyce; former state Senator Bob Mellow; Natalie Gelb; Pete Danchak; Ken Okrepkie, treasurer, The Wright Center for Community Health Board; and the Honorable Chris Doherty, former Scranton mayor. For more information about this year’s tournament, visit TheWrightCenter.org/golf-2025.
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) will help Lackawanna County residents struggling to pay utility bills, thanks to an $8,000 grant from Scranton Area Community Foundation. Participating in the ceremonial check presentation, from left, are Kenneth Okrepkie, Scranton Area Community Foundation Board of Governors; Laura Ducceschi, president and CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Holly Przasnyski, director, TWCPCE, and board coordinator, TWCPCE and The Wright Center for Community Health; Kathleen Doyle, co-director, TWCPCE, and director of patient- entered services and outreach at The Wright Center for Community Health; and Cathy Fitzpatrick, director of grants and scholarships, Scranton Area Community Foundation.
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) will help Lackawanna County residents struggling to pay utility bills, thanks to an $8,000 grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation.
TWCPCE advances The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education’s mission — to improve the health and welfare of our communities through responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve — by assisting the region’s most vulnerable populations, including those experiencing poverty, homelessness, food and housing insecurity, limited access to education and job opportunities, transportation barriers, social isolation, and other challenges.
To help connect patients with resources at The Wright Center and across the region, community health workers (CHWs) gather information about patients’ non-medical factors such as income, education level, employment status, housing quality, neighborhood environment, and access to health care that can influence health outcomes.
In fiscal year 2023-24, screenings revealed that 515 patients at The Wright Center faced utility bill-related hardships. The majority – 347 – needed assistance with electricity bills.
“Energy costs have traditionally been a more significant burden for low-income households, which typically spend a far larger percentage of their gross income on utility bills compared to higher-earning households,” said Holly Przasnyski, co-director of TWCPCE. “In Lackawanna County, many residents live in older, less energy-efficient homes, which increase utility bills, especially during the winter.”
Thanks to the generous grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation, TWCPCE can assist up to 133 low-income households in Lackawanna County with one-time payments of up to $200 for electric bills. The Wright Center’s CHWs and other staff members will complete screenings to identify patients who need utility bill assistance and can refer them to other community agencies for additional support.
“We’re thrilled about the grant because it’s a new resource for our patients,” Przasnyski said. “While other resources, like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, exist, they tend to be selective, limited, and difficult to access.”
Guided by a board of patients and local professionals, TWCPCE organizes community initiatives, such as food drives, clothing closets, school supply giveaways, and transportation assistance to and from doctors’ appointments. For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org.
The Scranton Area Community Foundation is on a mission to enhance the quality of life for all people in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy. With over $100 million in assets under management and more than 365 charitable funds, Scranton Area Community Foundation has served as a steward, grantmaker, charitable resource, and catalyst for change since 1954. The Foundation leads various initiatives, including Women in Philanthropy, the Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellence, NEPA Moves, NEPA Thrives, and the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative. Additionally, the Foundation hosts and facilitates NEPA Gives and the NEPA Learning Conference. The Scranton Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization confirmed in compliance with National Standards of U.S. Community Foundations. More information about the Scranton Area Community Foundation can be found at www.safdn.org.
The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and the American College of Physicians’ Pennsylvania (PA-ACP) Eastern Chapter are addressing food insecurity in the region by co-hosting the second annual Spring into a Day of Giving Pop-Up Food Pantry on Friday, March 14, from noon to 3 p.m. at Weston Field in Scranton.
The free program at Weston Field, 928 Providence Road, Scranton, is open to the public. Free prepackaged bags of nonperishable food will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each bag will contain a variety of shelf-stable pantry staples such as pasta, canned soup, vegetables, tuna, chicken, and more. The food is provided by the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank.
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, also serves as the governor of the American College of Physicians’ Pennsylvania Eastern Chapter. The organizations are co-hosting the Spring into a Day of Giving Pop-Up Food Pantry on March 14, from noon to 3 p.m. at Weston Field in Scranton.
The Spring into a Day of Giving Pop-Up Food Pantry will offer more than just food. Attendees can explore educational materials about PA-ACP, learn about dental and behavioral health services available at The Wright Center, and enjoy kid-friendly crafts. Complimentary “Bags of Warmth,” each containing a cozy winter hat, gloves, and a scarf will be available. Guests can also pick up doses of Naloxone, a life- aving medication that quickly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses.
Employees from Lackawanna County and Scranton City government will also be at the event with information about regional resources.
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, serves as governor of the PA-ACP Eastern Chapter. Staff from The Wright Center, along with resident and fellow physicians from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, will join members of the PA-ACP Eastern Chapter to volunteer at the event.
“Our Leap Year event at Weston Field on Feb. 29 was a tremendous success,” Gerri McAndrew, director of development and relations for community outreach and co-director of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, said about last year’s event. “We recognize the many challenges individuals face in our communities, and hosting an event at this location enables us to connect with people we might not otherwise reach.”
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACP is comprised of three regions – Eastern, Western, and Southeastern – and joins over 7,000 members together to speak for Internal Medicine and reflects the interests and concerns of the specialty medical field. Internists in Pennsylvania are welcome to join the organization and can learn more about the college and regional activities by going to pa-acp.org.
Two employees at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education earned national recognition for their work supporting health care in underserved communities.
Dr. Sandra Rabat, a resident physician with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Nicole Sekelsky, the director of needs-responsive outreach, engagement, and enrollment at The Wright Center for Community Health, received honorable mentions for the 2024 National Area Health Education Centers Organization (AHEC) 2024 Alumni/Advocate of the Year award for their work in regional communities. Both honorees are based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and have affiliations with the Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (NE PA AHEC).
Dr. Sandra Rabat is a resident physician with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Internal Medicine Residency Program.
AHEC was developed by Congress in 1971 to recruit, train, and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations.
Dr. Rabat, a second-year resident physician, is a graduate of the AHEC Scholars Program, a two-year program that aims to empower participants to make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable populations and become a force for change, according to NE PA AHEC. As a resident physician, she has led innovative projects to improve health care access. Her “Defeating Barriers to Executing Screening Mammography for Women with Mobile Mammogram Awareness” project won first place in The Wright Center’s internal competition, showcasing her ability to address gaps in care.
Additionally, Dr. Rabat has become involved in advocacy work with The Wright Center, including organ donation, encouraging patient-provider discussions, and sustainable funding for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program. She has worked with the National Association of Community Health Centers and participated in the American Association of Teaching Health Centers’ Fall Fly-In, advocating for reforms on Capitol Hill.
Nicole Sekelsky is director of needs-responsive outreach, engagement, and enrollment at The Wright Center for Community Health.
Dr. Rabat also mentors AHEC Scholars, sharing her expertise with the next generation of health care professionals. Her commitment to improving access to primary and preventive care is reflected in her mentorship and presentations, including her 2021 talk on prioritizing vaccinations for older adults in long-term care facilities.
Sekelsky joined The Wright Center as a community health worker in 2022 after pursuing a career in health care through the Readiness In Skilled Employment Program (RISE) that helps Lackawanna and Luzerne county residents living 250% below the federal poverty level train for in-demand careers. Through that program, she learned about and enrolled in NE PA AHEC’s community health worker training program.
Since Sekelsky began working as a community health worker at The Wright Center, she has been promoted several times. In her current role, she ensures that all patients of The Wright Center receive access to health insurance and trains employees on how to assist patients seeking health insurance. She also serves on NE PA AHEC’s board of directors.
