The Wright Center for Community Health is accepting appointments for 16- and-17-year-olds to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech third-dose booster shot at community practices in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties after U.S. health authorities gave emergency authorization for the third dose on Dec. 9.

The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave emergency authorization of the vaccine for this new age group, provided they are six months past their last dose of their primary COVID-19 vaccination series. The newly approved booster offers the same dosage as the primary vaccine.

The Wright Center for Community Health is also administering booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for all adults. Anyone 18 and older who received their Pfizer or Moderna primary vaccine series at least six months ago or received a Johnson & Johnson dose at least two months ago is eligible. In addition, the pediatric dose of the Pfizer vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds was authorized by the CDC on Nov. 2.

Appointments for these series of vaccines also are being accepted at select Wright Center community clinics. Please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570.343.2383 to schedule an appointment for the primary vaccine series, booster series or pediatric vaccine.

The Wright Center for Community Health recently appointed Cyndi Colman, a registered nurse, as an infusion therapy nurse at its Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn to improve the health and welfare of the community.

A Clarks Summit resident, Colman’s role will support physicians to carry out a variety of treatments and procedures in nursing care, including COVID-19 positive patients. Colman will assist in assuring effective and efficient coordination of nursing activities within the Scranton Practice by preparing, administering and managing infusion therapy of monoclonal antibody therapy in an outpatient infusion suite.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has approved the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s application to add an additional three resident physicians to the psychiatry residency.

To meet the growing national demand for psychiatric care, the current workforce of about 45,580 psychiatrists must increase by 2,800 behavioral specialists by 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Today’s estimated 6.4% shortage of psychiatrists is expected to nearly double to 12% by 2025

The federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has accepted a scholarly research abstract from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education for presentation at its highly competitive national conference in April.

Dr. Nirali Patel, a board-certified internal medicine and board-eligible geriatrics physician and associate program director of the Geriatrics Fellowship and core faculty for internal medicine, will present the paper, “Value Impact of a Community-Based, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-Accredited Geriatrics Fellowship Immersion in an Essential Community Provider’s COVID-19 Response.” She co-authored the abstract with Drs. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO; Jumee Barooah, designated institutional official, Edward Dzielak, a geriatrics and internal medicine physician and program director of the Geriatrics Fellowship, and Ronakkumar Patel, a resident physician in the internal medicine program.

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The abstract, one of 72 accepted for presentation, illustrates how HRSA’s investment in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Geriatrics Fellowship led to the successful training of its first graduating class during the height of the pandemic. Fellows acted as a key pandemic workforce, offering safely managed and supervised in-person clinic, home-based and telehealth visits for geriatric patients.

In addition, fellows also engaged in deployment of The Wright Center for Community Health’s 34-foot mobile medical unit, Driving Better Health, to deliver primary health services, as well as COVID-19 testing, monoclonal antibody infusions and vaccinations at senior living facilities. Along with primary care residents, geriatric fellows formed a vital workforce for the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Education Support and Clinical Coaching Program that provided support to personal care, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. 

HRSA’s abstract review committee chose the research article for its Bureau of Health Workforce Virtual All Grantee and Stakeholder Meeting. The focus of the meeting is for participants to learn from grantees and trainees about programs, ideas and research that can improve the health workforce.

Overall, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has had 75 scholarly abstracts, written on a wide array of topics in medicine, accepted for presentation at professional conferences since the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year.

The fellowship in geriatrics is a one-year program that emphasizes quality of care and a deep understanding of socioeconomic determinants of health for older patients that face the unique health challenges that come with aging. 

For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to thewrightcenter.org or call 570.343.2383.

Scranton, Pa. (Dec. 6, 2021) – A scholarly research team at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education has had their scholarly abstract, “An Addiction Medicine Fellowship’s Valuable Engagement in an Essential Community Provider’s ‘Whole Person’ Care and Education Model,” accepted for presentation at a highly competitive national conference.

The federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) abstract review committee chose the research article for its Bureau of Health Workforce Virtual All Grantee and Stakeholder Meeting in April. The focus of the meeting is for participants to learn from grantees and trainees about programs, ideas and research that can improve the health workforce.

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Dr. Karen Arscott, a primary care and addiction medicine specialist, will make the public presentation of the abstract for the research team. Drs. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO, and Jumee Barooah, designated institutional official, also contributed to the research along with Scott Constantini, director of behavioral health, and Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D., senior vice president of assessment and advancement for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

The abstract, one of 72 accepted for presentation, illustrates how HRSA’s investment in the Geisinger-Wright Center for Community Health addiction fellowship partnership helped improve access to health care services and trained the health workforce to address behavioral and community health needs.

A Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, The Wright Center for Community Health features a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence, one of about 50 in the state. The program helps individuals in recovery reshape their lifestyles from the comfort of their own communities. Patients connect with supportive certified recovery specialists, case managers, social workers and medical providers at any of the Wright Center for Community Health’s primary care practices. The providers help them break the cycle of addiction and reshape their lifestyle through outpatient care.

The Wright Center also co-founded the Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support (Healthy MOMS) program, which assists pregnant and postpartum women who are coping with substance use disorder. 

For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to thewrightcenter.org or call 570.343.2383. 

Scranton, Pa. (Dec. 2, 2021) – Area residents buying health insurance on Pennie, the state’s marketplace exchange, will have more plans to choose from and may pay lower premiums this year thanks to pandemic relief efforts. In order to help community members understand benefits available to them, The Wright Center for Community Health will offer free, in-person assistance on Friday, Dec. 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave.

Wright Center certified assisters will provide free advice on health care coverage and help people sign up for a plan that meets their needs through Pennie, the replacement for healthcare.gov as Pennsylvania’s official site for choosing health insurance plans. Enrollment is open through Jan. 15, 2022

At the Dec. 10 event, Wright Center enrollment assisters will:

• Explain benefit options;
• Find the best plan to fit every budget, and
• Check eligibility for financial assistance.

To schedule an appointment, call an outreach and enrollment navigator at The Wright Center, at 570.591.5253 or email twc-insurance-enrollment@thewrightcenter.org. Please include your full name and phone number. Attendees are asked to enter the event through the patient entrance of the Scranton practice, located on the parking lot side of the building, where an enrollment table will be set up inside the lobby. 

The Wright Center’s enrollment assisters are trained to help people identify and enroll in trusted affordable health insurance coverage options, providing them with a financial safety net and greater access to care. The confidential face-to-face meeting will help people better understand their options and assist them in the enrollment process.

“We know there are many residents in our area who remain uninsured and may not be offered coverage through work. Health insurance coverage is a basic human right and enrollment events like ours provide answers to the community regarding affordable health care options,” said Welch. 

Anyone who suddenly lost their employer-sponsored coverage or is currently not insured should contact The Wright Center’s Enrollment Department as soon as possible by calling 570.591.5253. These individuals might qualify for a special enrollment period.

The Wright Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike. All patients are provided access to health care regardless of their ability to pay. People who are not insured or lack adequate coverage might be eligible for the sliding fee discount program, which allows The Wright Center to reduce fees for eligible patients, depending on household income and family size. Visit thewrightcenter.org/sliding-fee-scale for more information.