The Pennsylvania Department of Health has appointed The Wright Center for Community Health’s director of addiction services to its Maternal Mortality Review Committee as an addiction treatment specialist.

Kolcharno also played a key role in launching the Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support Program (Healthy MOMS) in 2018. The novel program focuses on helping pregnant women and new mothers overcome addiction and embrace a life in recovery. Under Kolcharno’s leadership, Healthy MOMS has supported more than 500 mothers and 300 babies and expanded into nine Northeast Pennsylvania counties.

The state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee was established in 2018 to systematically review all pregnancy-associated deaths, identify the root causes of these deaths, and develop strategies to reduce preventable morbidity, and mortality related to pregnancy in Pennsylvania.

In her role on the committee, Kolcharno’s experience will be crucial to the case review discussion and development of actionable recommendations to prevent similar tragedies. These recommendations will provide necessary improvements to the medical and social care of pregnant and postpartum individuals in the commonwealth with the goal of preventing and eliminating future pregnancy-associated deaths and associated morbidities.

“It is a privilege to be chosen to serve on the Maternal Mortality Review Committee,” said Kolcharno. “I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across the state to tackle this serious public health issue. Together, we can empower individuals to take control of their health and well-being.”

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, was named one of the 100 most powerful and influential female leaders in Pennsylvania by City & State Pennsylvania. The multimedia organization debuted its third annual Women 100 list on Dec. 23.

The list highlights the achievements of women in numerous fields – including government, nonprofits, education, business, labor, and advocacy – who are shaping Pennsylvania’s future with their visionary leadership and significant contributions. Honorees included Kim Ward, president pro tempore, Senate of Pennsylvania; Joanna McClinton, speaker, Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Cherelle Parker, mayor of Philadelphia; and Leslie C. Davis, president and CEO, UPMC.

Dr. Thomas-Hemak graduated from Scranton Preparatory School and the University of Scranton. After graduating as a Michael DeBakey Scholar from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and completing Harvard’s Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program in Boston, she returned to Northeast Pennsylvania, joining The Wright Center in 2001, becoming president in 2007, and CEO in 2012.

Under her stewardship, The Wright Center has expanded its growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health.

She also guided The Wright Center to achieve numerous prestigious distinctions, including its designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike in 2019, which unlocked essential federal resources for the region and significantly expanded health care access. The Wright Center has also been recognized as a Top 30 Site for National Primary Care Innovations by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and, in 2024, was inducted into the esteemed American Medical Association’s ChangeMedEd Consortium.

Dr. Thomas-Hemak also led The Wright Center for Community Health’s transformation into one of the first state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Centers of Excellence in 2016, improving access to substance use disorder treatment. Amid rising obesity rates, she guided physicians in obtaining board certification in obesity medicine to better address critical health needs.

She also transformed The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education into one of the nation’s largest Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums (GME-SNC).

Dr. Thomas-Hemak also serves as the governor for the Eastern Region of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians, the nation’s largest medical-specialty organization. She sits on numerous local, regional, and national health care and medical education nonprofit governing boards, cross-sector committees, and workgroups, including the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Council on Graduate Medical Education, a federal advisory committee that assesses and recommends actions on physician workforce trends, training issues, and financing policies.

She is chair of the Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center Governing Board and a governing board member of the Keystone Accountable Care Organization, The Institute, and the Center for Health and Human Services Research and Action. She is also a founding member of the consortium that established the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and a founding board member of the American Association of Teaching Health Centers.

Dr. Thomas-Hemak has received several prestigious state and national awards for her leadership, mentorship, and advocacy initiatives, including the 2024 Hometown Scholars Advocacy Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and A.T. Still University for her exemplary leadership in mentoring and inspiring others; the 2024 Wilford Payne Health Center Mentor Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers; NACHC’s 2022 Elizabeth K. Cooke Advocacy MVP Award for her efforts in engaging Congress and expanding grassroots advocacy; and the 2020 Ann Preston Women in Medicine Award from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians for advancing women’s leadership in medicine.

She and her husband, Mark, reside in Jermyn and have three children: Mason, Maya, and Antoinette. Dr. Thomas-Hemak is the daughter of the late William Thomas and Johanna Cavalieri Thomas, who lives in Archbald.

Michael P. Curran, CEO of Commonwealth Health System’s Regional Hospital of Scranton and Moses Taylor Hospital and volunteer member of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Board of Directors, received a 2024 Impact Award from City & State Pennsylvania during an awards ceremony in Philadelphia.

“Michael’s leadership exemplifies the power of collaboration and strategic vision,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “His leadership work has strengthened health care delivery and medical education in Northeast Pennsylvania and paved the way for future generations of health care professionals. We are proud and honored to have him as a board member of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, where his expertise in workforce development continues to make a positive and lasting impact on our region.”

Since becoming CEO in 2022, Curran led the successful merger of Regional and Moses Taylor hospitals, navigating complex regulations, fostering collaboration among physicians, staff, board members, and community partners, and uniting the hospitals’ 233 years of combined service under a single license.

Moses Taylor is the region’s leader in obstetrics, gynecology, neonatal care, and senior mental health services, featuring Lackawanna County’s only Level III neonatal intensive care unit and state-of-the-art family birthing suites. Regional Hospital stands as a comprehensive acute care hub, excelling in medical, surgical, and cardiovascular specialties, with a nationally recognized Heart and Vascular Institute and the first in Pennsylvania to earn all four orthopedic certifications for hip fracture, and knee, hip, and shoulder replacement from The Joint Commission.

Before joining Commonwealth Health, Curran served as system chief operating officer at Crozer Health, where he was key in developing an innovative neurosciences program that brought comprehensive stroke and brain surgery interventions to Delaware County for the first time. He also guided the integration of Prospect Medical Holdings into the Crozer-Keystone Health System, ensuring a smooth transition for the nonprofit, four-hospital system. He also served as president of Crozer-Chester Medical Center, a premier tertiary care teaching hospital in Delaware County, where he played a pivotal role in the hospital’s transformation, expanding specialty services like burn treatment and kidney transplant care.

He received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s in health administration from Cornell University.

Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center’s growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, provides affordable, high-quality, nondiscriminatory, whole- person primary health services to everyone, regardless of age, ethnic background, ZIP code, insurance status, or ability to pay. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education was established in 1976 as the Scranton- Temple Residency Program, a community-based internal medicine residency. Today, The Wright Center is one of the largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums in the nation.

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s residency and fellowship programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-866-3017.

“Type 2 diabetes is a serious, chronic condition that can lead to health issues such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure,” said Melissa Germano, a registered dietician, licensed dietician nutritionist, and the director of lifestyle and preventive medicine at The Wright Center. “Our program will teach participants the skills they need to get healthier and reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.”

Research has shown the National Diabetes Prevention Program, which the CDC developed, can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58% for people 18-59 and by 71% for those 60 and older. A specially trained lifestyle coach leads the program, teaching participants how to make lasting lifestyle changes by changing eating habits, increasing physical activity, developing skills to cope with stress, and more. 

“The program gives participants personalized support that empowers them to implement healthy behavior changes,” Germano said. “We thought the New Year would be a great time to launch the program to help people focus on their overall health and make changes for a healthier lifestyle throughout the year.” 

NE PA AHEC Health Educator Valerie Williams said her organization has offered the National Diabetes Prevention Program for years and decided to partner with The Wright Center to reach more people. 

“We have a high number of people with prediabetes and diabetes in our area,” Williams said. “We need to educate our community because many people don’t realize they have prediabetes and that they can postpone the onset of Type 2 diabetes.”

To qualify for the program, participants must be 18 or older; have a body mass index, commonly known as BMI, of 25 or higher (23 or higher for Asian-American patients); have no prior diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes or end-stage kidney disease; and cannot be pregnant. 

Participants must also meet at least one of the following: 

• Had a blood test result in the prediabetes range within the past year (includes any of these tests and results):
  • Hemoglobin A1C: 5.7%–6.4%
  • Fasting plasma glucose: 100–125 mg/dL
  • Two-hour plasma glucose (after a 75g glucose load): 140–199 mg/dL
• Be previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
• Received a high-risk result (score of 5 or higher) on a prediabetes risk test. Click here to take the test.

The Wright Center, headquartered in Scranton, has a growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, to ensure everyone has access to affordable, high-quality, nondiscriminatory whole-person primary health services. To make an appointment or for more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-342-5353.

Anyone who qualifies for the program and is interested in enrolling in the in-person classes or a virtual component can contact Germano at [email protected] or 570-892-8598. 

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, a nonprofit subsidiary of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, administered by Scranton Area Community Foundation. This funding will support the expansion of The Wright Center’s Patient and Community Needs Program, helping to address critical barriers faced by the region’s most vulnerable populations.

“This philanthropic gift beautifully exemplifies the unwavering dedication of the Robert H. Spitz Foundation and Scranton Area Community Foundation to our cherished community partnership and steadfast commitment to improving the health and well-being of our communities,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and co-chair of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement Board of Directors. “As the needs of our communities continue to grow, we are deeply grateful for this support, which provides a lifeline to individuals and families struggling with necessities and empowers them to focus on improving their health without being burdened by the barriers that often prevent access to care.”

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement 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 involving patients and communities in transforming primary health services, fostering workforce development, and addressing public health challenges.

Focused on education, advocacy, and reducing barriers, the nonprofit assists vulnerable populations facing poverty, homelessness, food and housing insecurity, limited transportation, and social isolation. Guided by a board of patients and local professionals, it organizes impactful initiatives like health fairs, food drives, and school supply giveaways. Its annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament raises critical funds to ensure equitable access to high-quality, whole-person primary health services for everyone.

The Robert H. Spitz Foundation provides grants to registered nonprofit organizations that support impactful programs benefiting Lackawanna County and Northeast Pennsylvania residents. Among its four key focus areas are “programs that aim to break the cycle of poverty, remove economic barriers, and encourage independence in adults and children through access to safe, affordable housing, transportation, education, and other important issues.”

Since its inception, the Robert H. Spitz Foundation has awarded nearly $6 million in community grants. Scranton Area Community Foundation has served as its administrator since 2016. For more information, visit safdn.org.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE) received a $10,000 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. The funding will support the expansion of The Wright Center’s Patient and Community Needs Program, which helps address critical barriers faced by the region’s most vulnerable populations. Participating in the ceremonial check presentation, from left, are Frank Caputo, grants and scholarships manager, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Holly Przasnyski, board coordinator and director, TWCPCE; Mary Marrara, co-chair, TWCPCE; and Laura Ducceschi, president and CEO, the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Fourth-year medical students at A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona participate in a residency readiness boot camp.

A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA), a longtime partner of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, is one of five colleges to receive a grant from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) to support a residency readiness boot camp for fourth-year medical students.

The Wright Center for Community Health has been a training and educational site for ATSU-SOMA since 2020. Today, The Wright Center hosts about 25 second- through fourth-year medical school students from ATSU-SOMA who are completing their education in our clinical learning environments in Northeast Pennsylvania. 

ATSU-SOMA launched a residency readiness boot camp in 2021, according to Dr. Christina Weaver, assistant dean of clinical curriculum, interprofessional education, and simulation at ATSU-SOMA. Students participate in a three-day, immersive training – complete with mock hospital rooms full of equipment – at a hotel near campus in Mesa, Arizona, to better understand the challenges they’ll face in their medical residency. Eight ATSU-SOMA students currently training at The Wright Center will return to the Mesa campus for the boot camp this spring.

“We started this during the COVID-19 pandemic because our students weren’t able to fully participate in clinical experiences right before graduation,” Dr. Weaver said. “Our goal was to bring them some training opportunities, walk them through some procedures, and help boost their confidence as they take the next step to residency.”

Finding ways to better prepare their medical students for residency led ATSU-SOMA to develop Althea, an artificial intelligence-powered “Nurse Chatbot” that simulates encounters a resident can have while on call.  

“The AI nurse will page a student and relate, for instance, that Mr. Jones in Room 103 is complaining of pain,” similar to a message a medical resident might receive while on call, Dr. Weaver said. “Then the student replies, and the AI nurse is conversational via text regarding the patient’s condition, all based on the information we feed it.”

A recent ATSU-SOMA graduate, Dr. Connor Yost, developed the AI chatbot along with Dr. Weaver and Dr. Nicholas Caputo, an ATSU-SOMA faculty member, to help medical students practice a specialized skill before entering residency. The $10,000 AACOM grant will support this new technology, which Dr. Weaver says has the potential for other medical schools to use as well. 

Before launching the grant, AACOM officials visited ATSU-SOMA to learn more about their residency boot camp, she added. Like ATSU-SOMA, AACOM and other colleges of osteopathic medicine recognized how the COVID-19 pandemic affected medical students. In 2022, AACOM established a task force to address critical issues affecting osteopathic medical education, including the transition to residency and residency readiness.

The Task Force’s Boot Camp Action Group developed the Residency Readiness Playbook to guide colleges in building residency readiness boot camps to better prepare fourth-year students for the demands of residency. The playbook identifies critical residency skills and guides the framework’s integration into existing or new capstone activities. Other colleges that received the AACOM grant are Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

In addition to training hundreds of resident and fellow physicians from around the world, The Wright Centers for Graduate Medical Education and Community Health host interprofessional learners in a variety of health care fields, including medical students, medical assistants, physician assistants, dentists, and more, to support family-sustaining careers in health care and to meet the region’s needs for primary health services. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org.