Pediatrician joins The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley Practice

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Scranton, Pa. (Nov. 5, 2021) – The Wright Center for Community Health has named Dr. Manju Mary Thomas, a pediatrician, as medical director of Pediatrics and Community-Based Medical Home Services. She is accepting infants, children and adolescents as new patients beginning Dec. 20 at the Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. 

Thomas, board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, will also be a pediatric physician faculty member for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. The Palmer Township resident completed her residency in pediatrics at Brookdale University Hospital, Brooklyn, New York. She received training in a busy community-based hospital and gained experience in inpatient and outpatient settings, including the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU), neonatal ICU, and general pediatric and adolescent care.

Prior to joining The Wright Center for Community Health, she was an attending pediatrician at Lehigh Valley Health Network. In addition, she was an attending faculty pediatrician at St. Luke’s Hospital – Sacred Heart Campus, Allentown, and chief faculty pediatrician of the family practice residency program at Sacred Heart Star Wellness, a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike similar to The Wright Center for Community Health.

She will provide primary and preventive care for pediatric and adolescent patients at The Wright Center for Community Health. Go to thewrightcenter.org or call the Mid Valley Practice at 570.230.0019 to schedule an appointment with her.

Dr. Manju Mary Thomas

Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education resident physicians presenting scholarly research at 51st Critical Care Congress in Puerto Rico

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Scranton, Pa. (Nov. 24, 2021) – Four resident physicians at The Wright Center for Community Health have had their scholarly research abstracts accepted for presentation at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s 51st Critical Care Congress Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in February.

  • Dr. Yamini Patel
  • Dr. Shams Tasnim
  • Dr. Anshul Patel
  • Dr. Navharsh Sekhon

Dr. Yamini Patel will present, “Recurrent Bowel Angioedema Diagnosed Retrospectively after Oropharyngeal Angioedema,” and “Double Trouble Presentation of Lung Cancer: Superior Vena Cava Syndrome and Cardiac Tamponade.” Both abstracts are based on case reports.

Dr. Shams Tasnim will offer the scholarly presentation, “A Case Report on Human Babesiosis in a Nonendemic Region.” 

Dr. Anshul Patel will share his abstract, “Unmasking Babesiosis in a Cirrhotic: A Diagnostic Dilemma,” which is based on a case report.

Dr. Navharsh Sekhon will present, “Hemorrhage into Neurofibroma with Anticoagulant use in Neurofibromatosis Type I.” It is based on a case report.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine’s annual meeting is the largest critical care event. It brings together members of multiprofessional teams to explore the latest in critical care.

Overall, resident physicians in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education have had 71 scholarly abstracts, written on a wide array of topics in medicine, accepted for presentation at professional conferences during the 2021-22 academic year. 

For more information about The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education go to TheWrightCenter.org.

Patient photos centerpiece of powerful new display at Clarks Summit Practice

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Inspirational images from people living in recovery and others serve to promote healing amid prolonged pandemic

Scranton, Pa. (Nov. 23, 2021) – Looking at the ho-hum hallways in The Wright Center for Community Health’s Clarks Summit Practice, Dr. William Dempsey and his colleagues saw an opportunity to give a platform to patients – and just maybe help them to heal.

They asked patients and employees to share personal photographs with deep meaning, the sort of cellphone images that capture an inspiring scene, a significant life moment, a milestone. They particularly wanted to receive and spotlight photos from people who cope with substance use disorders, such as addiction to opioids.

The result: a fast-growing photo collection that reflects pieces of our shared humanity, from its emotional messiness to everyday majesty.

“These photos capture the spiritual part of the journey that our patients are on,” says Dempsey, deputy chief medical officer of The Wright Center and medical director of its Clarks Summit Practice. “We ask each person who submits a photo to tell their story. What’s the message your photo conveys? When you took the photo, what was the subject saying to you? That’s what we’re trying to get.”

One stark photograph zooms in on a snow-covered patch of ground and a few items that could be mistaken for litter: a Campbell’s Chunky soup can and an empty water bottle. The patient calls this image “My Last Meal as an Addict.”

About 40 photographs have been framed and mounted so far, hinting at what promises to become a vast collection of eye-catching and discussion-spurring art. “We’re going to fill the walls,” says Carlie Kropp, a case manager for The Wright Center’s Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence.

Kropp, who teamed with Dempsey to launch the photo project, intends to soon plug more pieces into bare spots in the patient waiting area and long corridors leading to exam rooms. Over time, she expects this, as-yet unnamed, collection to continually evolve as pieces get rotated out to accommodate new submissions.

This stark image, called ‘My Last Meal as an Addict,’ is one of many patient-submitted photographs that make up a growing and inspirational art collection at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Clarks Summit Practice.
Dr. William Dempsey, medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Clarks Summit Practice, is urging patients, especially those treated for substance use disorder, to capture and share photographs that reflect their spirituality and optimism. The photos then help to spur important conversations about recovery.

“We want anyone who wants to participate to do so,” says Kropp, a Shavertown resident. “We want the clinic to feel warm and welcoming, and to promote a community where we all care about each other.”

She and Dempsey say the photo project offers multiple benefits, from sparking conversations about important topics with patients who are living in recovery, to reducing stigma surrounding addiction, to making the clinic’s interior a bit more attractive.

Each photo will be displayed with a label and brief message, giving its creator a voice to explain the shot and its significance. A flower with vibrant pinks and yellows, for example, fills one frame, representing one patient’s self-described experience of “Blooming Again,” Kropp says.

Nature is a common theme of several photos: a rainbow emerging after a storm, trees reflected in placid water, a sunrise. Collectively, the participants shared shots evoking happiness, heartache and perhaps the most important “H” of all: hope.

For Kropp, the ongoing photo project might be just the salve needed to help relieve some of the sting inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “When you are living with a mental health diagnosis, or an addiction, isolation can really hurt,” she says. “This photo initiative is just kind of keeping us united and giving us faith that things will turn around, and we’ll get back to regular life.”

Meanwhile, if walls could talk at the Clarks Summit Practice, the dialogue would reveal a tussle between sickness and health, which in many of the newly hung photos is represented by darkness and light.

The light-dark contrast is evident, for instance, in a photo of a waning moon. It also dominates an image contributed by Dempsey and taken on the forested edge of a local reservoir shortly after a destructive spring storm. “In the back you can see the darkness, symbolizing addiction, and then you can see the crystal clarity of the water,” he says. “So, I named that photo ‘Recovery Begins.’”

Dempsey took inspiration from that image to start the clinic’s collective photo display, aiming to reawaken spirituality and optimism in the lives of his patients who struggle with substance use disorder. “The photos give me a point of reference to have that discussion,” he says.

“I advise my patients: ‘Go out there and find your spirituality,’” Dempsey says. “‘And when you do, get a picture of it and share it with us.’”

Patients of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Clarks Summit Practice can submit photos for consideration by sending an email to case manager Carlie Kropp, at kroppc@thewrightcenter.org. Or call her at 570.507.3608.

After a destructive spring storm, Dr. William Dempsey encountered this forested scene and took a cellphone photo, which he calls ‘Recovery Begins.’ Today, the image is part of an expanding art collection at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Clarks Summit Practice, where patients and employees are being encouraged to submit meaningful photos to display on the clinic’s walls.

The Wright Center for Community Health receives nearly $500,000 in federal funding to support telehealth services

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Expands collaboration with Endless Mountains Health Systems in Susquehanna County

Scranton, Pa. (Nov. 22, 2021) – The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau recently awarded a nearly $500,000 grant to The Wright Center for Community Health in collaboration with Endless Mountains Health Systems to support telehealth infrastructure that serves patients in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

The $491,814 grant was made available through the federal COVID-19 Telehealth Program: Round 2. The Wright Center was also the recipient of $629,051 in grant funding for Round 1 of the program.

The new round of grant funding supports the purchase and installation of secure telehealth devices and supporting systems. The new technology will expand and enhance telehealth capacity for both health care systems, including check-ins, triage, care delivery and follow-up appointments with video conferencing and telehealth audio calls at regional community health practices in Northeast Pennsylvania. 

“We are extremely grateful for this generous federal award to enhance access to and the delivery of essential health services related to COVID-19,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and chief executive officer of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “These crucial resources will have a long-term, positive impact on enhancing access to primary preventive care and chronic disease management services for patients, including those with substance use disorder.

“We are equally thrilled to have partnered with Endless Mountains Health Systems on this initiative and to be delivering these critical resources to the rural community they serve.”

Endless Mountains Health Systems, a federally designated critical access hospital, is a not-for-profit 25-bed acute care hospital with emergency services and ancillary services. Critical access hospitals, while vital to the health and welfare of the communities they serve, are challenged often in accessing the resources and capacity to set up their own telehealth infrastructure. Including Endless Mountains Health Systems as a strategic partner and pursuing support for their technology needs enhanced The Wright Center’s grant application and vital regional health system connectivity.

A successful FCC Round 1 recipient, The Wright Center’s partnership with Endless Mountains Health Systems further extends impactful telehealth reach in rural Pennsylvania during the pandemic. The new funding stream enhances access for patients served by Endless Mountains Health Systems by providing them an opportunity to tele-connect with their health care providers.

In addition, the technology will be compliant by federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards for patient-doctor interaction. Telemonitors, kiosks and related mobile devices will serve as the patient-doctor platform for the exchange of electronic health records, telehealth visits and information services, while enhancing the platform between patient portals and digital applications that support scheduling, show rates and follow-up telehealth visits for COVID-19-related services.

Overall, telehealth services facilitate public health strategies, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, by increasing social distancing and offering additional flexibility for patients and providers that can save time and resources. E-visits also afford continuity of care, which can prevent negative consequences due to delays in preventive, chronic and routine care. 

The Wright Center for Community Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, provides a comprehensive medical home to more than 30,000 patients in inpatient and outpatient settings, more than 40% of whom are uninsured, underinsured or low income. Eight primary care practices and the mobile medical unit, Driving Better Health, serve patients over a 3,300-square mile area.

The Wright Center for Community Health accepting Pfizer and Moderna booster shot appointments for adults

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Scranton, Pa. (Nov. 23, 2021) – The Wright Center for Community Health is now administering booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for all adults. Anyone 18 and older who received their Pfizer or Moderna primary vaccine at least six months ago or received a Johnson & Johnson dose at least two months ago can make an appointment following Friday’s decisions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration

“Vaccine providers across Pennsylvania have supplies of the safe and effective vaccines to administer booster shots,” said acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Alison Beam. “I am impressed by the tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians who are stepping up every day to get their first, second or third dose of vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors against COVID-19.”

Adults seeking a Pfizer booster can make an appointment at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. Moderna boosters are available at all other Wright Center locations, including, Clarks Summit Practice, 1145 Northern Blvd., South Abington Township; Hawley Practice, 103 Spruce St., Hawley; Kingston Practice, 2 Sharpe St., Kingston; Scranton Counseling Center, 329 Cherry St., Scranton; Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave., Scranton; South Franklin Street Practice, Wilkes-Barre, and West Scranton Intermediate School-Based Health, 1401 Fellows St., Scranton.

Dr. Jignesh Sheth

To make an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019. 

“This federal decision enables us to get more shots into arms at a very important time, as people will be spending more time indoors with family and friends because of the colder weather and holiday season,” said Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, chief medical officer and senior vice president for The Wright Center for Community Health. “The approved COVID-19 vaccinations for adults and children remain our best defense against serious illness and hospitalization.”

The latest decision by the CDC follows its unanimous decision on Nov. 2 to authorize pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. That decision made about 28 million children in the new age group eligible for vaccination. The Wright Center for Community Health has administered 157 doses of the pediatric vaccine since it was authorized.

The CDC approved third-dose boosters of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Oct. 22 for certain age groups. The Wright Center for Community Health has been administering third doses and booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to eligible age groups since Oct. 22. People should talk to their health care provider about their medical condition and whether or not getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.

The regulatory agencies have not begun to consider booster shots for teenagers.

The Wright Center names LaMaster associate vice president of development and Patient & Community Engagement

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Scranton, Pa. (Nov. 17, 2021) – The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education recently named Laurie LaMaster as associate vice president of development and Patient & Community Engagement.

A veteran of the regional media market, LaMaster spent 12 years as vice president of promotion and marketing at WNEP-TV 16. Most recently, she was director of marketing and promotion at KMTV-3 News Now in Omaha, Nebraska, where she oversaw marketing, advertising, promotion, public relations and creative services.

“I am excited to work collaboratively with my colleagues and members of the community to ensure everyone has access to health care so they can live their life to the fullest,” said LaMaster. “Our efforts will raise community awareness and also raise the necessary funds to deliver preventive and primary care to the communities that need it most.”

At The Wright Center, LaMaster will pilot a proactive model of community fundraising and awareness, and create and implement a fundraising and community engagement strategic plan to increase awareness of the organization and grow revenue. She will identify, create, launch and execute fundraising opportunities and special events with oversight from the Patient & Community Engagement board.

Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement board is comprised of resident physicians, physician faculty, administration and staff. Members focus on improving access to health care while addressing the negative social and economic determinants of health, such as food and housing insecurity, poverty and access to education that negatively affect the overall well-being of people. Volunteers provide oversight, direction and support for Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement team members.

“We are excited to welcome Ms. LaMaster to our team and community,” said William Waters, co-chair of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement board. “Her familiarity and knowledge of the region will benefit our growing network of community health centers and resident physician learners that are dedicated to providing comprehensive primary and preventive health care to the citizens who need it most in Northeast Pennsylvania.”  

Overall, LaMaster’s role will support the regional nonprofit’s mission and vision to improve the health and welfare of the community through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce of physicians.