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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Oz, U.S. Representative Bresnahan tour The Wright Center in Scranton
During a visit to The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton recently, Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and U.S. Representative Robert Bresnahan Jr. pose with a poster explaining The Wright Center’s Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium model. From left, Brian Ebersole, senior vice president of strategic enterprise and ecosystem development; Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, senior vice president and enterprise chief operations and strategy officer; Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO; Dr. Oz; Representative Bresnahan; and Jennifer Walsh, Esquire, senior vice president of enterprise integrity, chief legal and governance officer.
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan Jr. toured The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton ahead of a health care roundtable with local stakeholders and officials on Friday, Dec. 5.
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, welcomed Dr. Oz and Representative Bresnahan to the community health center. The two federal officials met with leaders at The Wright Center, as well as local stakeholders, including Shelley Riser, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers; and James Pettinato, CEO of Wayne Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Oz asked several questions about the important role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Look-Alikes (FQLAs) play in modern health care. FQHCs and FQLAs ensure health care for the nation’s underserved communities and vulnerable populations by offering services to all, regardless of their ability to pay, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. The Wright Center for Community Health was designated as an FQLA in 2019.
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, left, speaks with Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education; Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, senior vice president and enterprise chief operations and strategy officer, and Jennifer Walsh, Esquire, senior vice president of enterprise integrity, chief legal and governance officer. Leaders at The Wright Center spoke with Dr. Oz and U.S. Representative Robert Bresnahan Jr. about the ways The Wright Center’s community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties increase access to affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services for all.
“We are sincerely grateful to Dr. Oz, Congressman Bresnahan, and their staffs for visiting The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and for recognizing the essential role community health centers, community-based primary care, and physician and health care workforce development play in the health and vitality of our region and our nation,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak said. “As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and nationally recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home, The Wright Center ensures accessible, whole-person-focused, team-based, and cost-effective care for about 38,300 individuals each year across Northeast Pennsylvania.”
Additionally, Dr. Oz asked about The Wright Center’s Graduate Medical Education Program, which is one of the nation’s largest Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums (GME-SNC), funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Under Dr. Thomas’ leadership, The Wright Center pioneered a transformative, community-led GME-SNC model that reimagines medical education as a force for public health improvement.
“Our scalable GME-SNC model intentionally integrates health care delivery, interprofessional workforce development, innovation, and community voice to provide high-quality, affordable, and compassionate primary and preventive whole-person health services, especially in rural and underserved communities, while training 430 residents, fellows, and interprofessional learners annually, with strong retention in those communities,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak said. “At a time when hospital mergers and closures, accelerating health care workforce shortages, and fragile rural health care infrastructures threaten timely access to care, our integrated primary care and GME-SNC model serves as both a stabilizing anchor for local health systems and a lifeline for patients and families. It is a profound privilege and honor to share our mission-driven work and the voices of our patients and learners with our distinguished guests.”
Dr. Oz said he appreciated the opportunity to learn about The Wright Center, its efforts to train the next generation of health care professionals, and how its growing network of 13 community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties is increasing access to affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services for all.
“The decisions CMS makes in Washington and Baltimore affect Americans in every one of the country’s nearly 20,000 cities and towns — urban, rural, and everything in between,” Dr. Oz said. “That’s why it’s so important for us to get out of the Beltway and hear directly from people in those communities. I’m grateful to Congressman Bresnahan for bringing together local Northeastern Pennsylvania experts and stakeholders to work toward real, bipartisan solutions that can lower costs, increase access, and improve quality of care.”
After touring The Wright Center in Scranton, Dr. Oz and Representative Bresnahan attended a health care roundtable with Dr. Thomas-Hemak and other stakeholders from around Northeast Pennsylvania. Topics included Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform, medical modernization, insurance coverage, value-based care, and the Rural Health Transformation Fund.
Representative Bresnahan said, “Today’s discussion with Administrator Oz and our local health care community was extremely productive. It was a fantastic opportunity to sit down with local leaders to discuss how we can best implement the Rural Health Transformation Fund and the importance of high-quality health care. I want to thank Administrator Oz for coming to Scranton to hear firsthand from our community. We’re committed to delivering real, practical solutions that improve access to care, lower costs, and ensure every community gets the support it needs.”
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 accepts all insurance plans and offers a sliding-fee discount program based on federal poverty guidelines that considers family size and income. No patient is ever turned away due to an inability to pay. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-209-0019.
Established in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, The Wright Center and its consortium stakeholders train residents and fellows in a community-based, community-needs-responsive workforce development model. To date, more than 1,100 medical residents and fellows have graduated from The Wright Center’s Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency and fellowship programs. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-866-3017.
During a visit to The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and U.S. Representative Robert Bresnahan Jr. took a photo with key leaders. Front row from left, are Aimee Wechsler, director of government affairs; Dr. Ketaki Pande, Internal Medicine resident physician; Laura Spadaro, vice president and chief primary care and public health policy officer; Shelley Riser, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers; Dr. Himani Mongia, Internal Medicine resident physician; and Harold W. Baillie, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Board chair; second row, Dr. Emre Demirtas, Internal Medicine resident physician; Dr. Seyma Bayram, Internal Medicine resident physician; Brian Ebersole, senior vice president of strategic enterprise and ecosystem development; Jennifer Walsh, Esquire, senior vice president of enterprise integrity, chief legal and governance officer; Kenneth G. Okrepkie, The Wright Center for Community Health Board member; Congressman Bresnahan; Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education; Dr. Oz; Deborah Kolsovsky, The Wright Center for Community Health Board chair; Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, senior vice president and enterprise chief operations and strategy officer; Mason Hemak, project manager; James Pettinato, CEO of Wayne Memorial Hospital; Dr. Sirin Keten, a former observation student; and Dr. William Dempsey, chief population health value-based care officer of The Wright Center.
