The Wright Center for Community Health presents at-home COVID-19 test kits to Friedman Jewish Community Center, community partners

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The Wright Center for Community Health joined in the federally led coronavirus response by distributing COVID-19 at-home self-tests to community partners in Northeast Pennsylvania, including the Friedman Jewish Community Center, Kingston; and McGlynn Learning Center and Volunteers of America of Wilkes-Barre.

Overall, The Wright Center disbursed about 23,000 free at-home test kits, which were supplied to the center as part of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s COVID-19 Testing Supply Program. Of the total, more than half The Wright Center’s allotment of kits were supplied to the general public. Health center patients and employees also received the self-test kits in an effort to contain community spread of the potentially fatal virus.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, a subsidiary of The Wright Center for Community Health, mobilized volunteers, including board members, resident physicians and employees, to distribute the kits in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. 

The Wright Center also organized and staffed five drive-through distributions of free kits in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. Three of those kit giveaways were held at the organization’s Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn. Two giveaways were completed in Luzerne County, one in conjunction with the Kingston Fire Department and one in partnership with Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke.

As a community partners, the Jewish Community Alliance of Northeastern Pennsylvania received a supply of children’s reusable masks and 45 test kits, and quickly distributed the masks and rapid antigen tests safely into members’ hands.

The Wright Center for Community Health, in conjunction with The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, distributed COVID-19 at-home self-tests to the Friedman Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Kingston. Accepting the test kits, from left, are Dr. Soloman Saul, a Friedman JCC board member and Family Medicine resident physician at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education; Gary Bernstein, CEO, Jewish Community Alliance of NEPA; and Barbara Sugarman, adult and cultural director, Friedman JCC.

Gary Bernstein, the alliance’s CEO, appreciated the in-demand health care supplies, which were given to senior adults participating in the Friedman Jewish Community Center’s Men’s Club and exercise class for people with Parkinson’s disease in Kingston. “I always tell people ‘community’ is our middle name,” said Bernstein. “Collaboration with The Wright Center is very important to me and our organization. It’s like-minded organizations working together to strengthen the community.”

For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570.230.0019.

The Wright Center for Community Health accepting applications for Medical Assistant Training program partnership with national body

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Second cohort of students is eligible for federal financial aid

A Wright Center for Community Health and National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) initiative that was formed to address a critical national shortage of professionals is accepting applications beginning March 14 for its fall 2022 cohort of students.

The collaboration educates and trains students over 29 weeks to become certified clinical medical assistants. The program combines flexible online learning with a paid internship at one of The Wright Center for Community Health’s primary health practices in Lackawanna, Luzerne or Wayne counties. Federal financial aid is available for students who qualify.

Students who are accepted into the program receive personalized training with experienced medical professionals at The Wright Center for Community Health during the clinical portion of their education. After completing the education component, students will be eligible to take the National Healthcareer Association Medical Assistant examination to receive their certified clinical medical assistant credential. Graduates from the NIMAA program have an 85% graduate rate on the exam.

A medical assistant is responsible for assisting doctors and nurses in providing care to patients in hospitals, doctor’s offices and other health care facilities. Duties include recording and updating medical histories and contact information in patient files, scheduling patient appointments and performing standard care procedures, such as taking blood samples, measuring and recording vital signs, and more.

The employment outlook for medical assistants is projected to grow 18% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 104,400 openings are projected annually on average, over the decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Applications are being accepted through Sunday, May 29, but space is limited. For more information, contact Carla Blakeslee, coordinator of clerkships at The Wright Center, at 570.591.1511 or blakesleec@thewrightcenter.org or apply directly at nimaa.edu/admissions.

The Wright Center for Community Health holding COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Catholic Social Services Family Center in Hazleton

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The Wright Center for Community Health is holding a Driving Better Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at Catholic Social Services Family Center, 106 S. Church St., Hazleton, on Monday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Driving Better Health is a 34-foot mobile medical unit that brings high-quality health care services directly to the underserved communities of Northeast Pennsylvania. The mobile medical unit has been serving populations of special concern since 2020. It is regularly deployed to senior living centers, regional schools, homeless shelters and other community gathering spots.

COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are available for anybody age 5 and up. A guardian must accompany patients who are younger than 17. Walk-up appointments are welcome depending on vaccine availability, but appointments are encouraged for the convenience of patients. Please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570.230.0019 to schedule an appointment.

The Wright Center for Community Health clinical staff will also offer COVID-19 testing and flu vaccines at the clinic. 

Guests are asked to observe public safety measures, including masking and social distancing, during the clinic and bring identification and insurance cards. 

The Wright Center for Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike. Community health centers offer affordable, safety-net health care services and are the largest providers of primary care for the nation’s most vulnerable and medically underserved populations. Prevalent in both urban and rural settings, community health centers are located in regions with high-poverty rates and/or low numbers of private or nonprofit health care systems and hospitals. 

The Wright Center for Community Health’s 34-foot Driving Better Health mobile medical unit brings high-quality health care services directly to the most vulnerable and medically underserved populations in Northeast Pennsylvania. A Driving Better Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic will be held Monday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Catholic Social Services Family Center, 106 S. Church St., Hazleton.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education names director of Gastroenterology Fellowship

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The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education recently named Dr. Vikas Khurana the director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship.

A graduate of the University of Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College in India, he completed his residency in internal medicine at State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn, New York, and a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.

Khurana also holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and served as an associate professor of medicine at Temple University. 

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education offers fellowships in cardiovascular disease, geriatrics and gastroenterology. The gastroenterology fellowship enhances the care of patients in Northeast Pennsylvania who have gastrointestinal disorders, as well as strengthens the local health care workforce in the specialty field. Over the course of three years, fellows gain valuable experience in inpatient and outpatient gastroenterology and hepatology, including the mastery of procedural skills. Fellows, under the guidance of the program director, are immersed in the community through The Wright Center for Community Health’s eight regional practices that serve Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.  

Dr. Vikas Khurana

The Wright Center for Community Health holding COVID-19 vaccination clinic at St. Francis Food Pantry in Scranton

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The Wright Center for Community Health is holding a Driving Better Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at St. Francis Food Pantry, 500 Penn Ave., Scranton, on Friday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Driving Better Health is a 34-foot mobile medical unit that brings high-quality health care services directly to the underserved communities of Northeast Pennsylvania. The mobile medical unit has been serving populations of special concern since 2020. It is regularly deployed to senior living centers, regional schools, homeless shelters and other community gathering spots.

COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are available for anybody age 5 and up. A guardian must accompany patients who are younger than 17. Walk-up appointments are welcome depending on vaccine availability, but appointments are encouraged for the convenience of patients. Please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019 to schedule an appointment.

The Wright Center for Community Health clinical staff will also offer COVID-19 testing and flu vaccines at the clinic. 

Patients are asked to observe public safety measures, including masking and social distancing, during the clinic and bring identification and insurance cards. 

The Wright Center for Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike. Community health centers offer affordable, safety-net health care services and are the largest providers of primary care for the nation’s most vulnerable and medically underserved populations. Prevalent in both urban and rural settings, community health centers are located in regions with high-poverty rates and/or low numbers of private or nonprofit health care systems and hospitals. 

The Wright Center for Community Health utilizes Driving Better Health, a 34-foot mobile medical unit, to bring high-quality health care services, including vaccination clinics, directly to the most vulnerable and medically underserved populations in Northeast Pennsylvania.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement distributing free at-home COVID-19 test kits

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The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement is holding two drive-thru distribution events of free at-home COVID-19 test kits for the public on a first-come, first-serve basis on Saturday, Feb. 5 in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. Each vehicle will receive five test kits while supplies last.

In conjunction with the Kingston fire and police departments, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement will hand out test kits from 6-7 p.m. in the parking lot of the fire department, 600 Wyoming Ave. Guests are asked to follow this route: Go to West Dorrance Street off of Wyoming Avenue and take a left onto Welter Lane. Stay on Welter Lane until arriving at the fire department’s parking lot. Follow the traffic route outlined by orange cones and exit the event onto Sharpe Street.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement is also holding an at-home COVID-19 test kit giveaway at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn, from 6-7 p.m.

“Time and again, our community partners have come forward to work with us during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Laurie LaMaster, associate vice president of Patient & Community Engagement. “Thanks to Kingston fire and police officials, and the Jermyn and Archbald police departments, we are able to respond to the needs of the community and provide this needed public service.”

To help facilitate an efficient distribution, the public is asked to pre-register. Simply fill out the form at TheWrightCenter.org/covidtest, print out the confirmation page and present it to a volunteer handing out test kits. The pre-registration process does not guarantee the availability of a test kit.

The Wright Center is also reminding participants to abide by COVID-19 mitigation standards by wearing masks and remaining in vehicles at all times. 

For complete and up-to-date information about The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement’s community distributions of at-home COVID-19 test kits, please follow the organization’s social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or go to TheWrightCenter.org. 

The Wright Center for Community Health is respectfully asking the public to refrain from calling and going to clinical locations during normal business hours to ask about at-home test kits. Call volume and clinician capacity are reserved to address primary health services and prescription refills.