An employee of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education has been named among Pennsylvania’s most influential leaders over the age of 50.

Kara Seitzinger, the executive director of public affairs and advisor to the president and CEO, has been named in City & State Pennsylvania’s prestigious “Fifty Over 50” list. It recognizes prominent and accomplished leaders in the Keystone State’s government, business, media, advocacy, and nonprofit sectors who are over the age of 50. These individuals are honored for their achievements and their continued impact on the commonwealth, according to the publication.

Honorees include former U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr.; Jill Murray, president and chief innovation officer of Lackawanna College; and John Fry, president of Temple University. Seitzinger and the other honorees were recognized during a dinner in Philadelphia on Oct. 28.

In addition to her tireless efforts on behalf of The Wright Center, Seitzinger is also deeply involved in her community. The Scranton native serves on the American Heart Association’s executive leadership board of directors and received its Eastern State Region’s 2024 Distinguished Achievement Award. In 2023, the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers honored her with the APEX Community Ambassador Award. Seitzinger also serves as a board member of Scranton Tomorrow and the Wyoming Valley Run.

City & State is the premier multimedia news organization dedicated to covering Pennsylvania’s local and state politics and policy. To read the “Fifty Over 50” article, go to www.cityandstatepa.com.

Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center has a growing network of community health centers across Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. Its locations offer affordable, comprehensive, high-quality, whole-person primary and preventive health services to people of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, addiction and recovery, and Ryan White HIV services.

For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

The Wright Center for Community Health is proud to announce that it is participating in the “Building Care With You” campaign, a national effort led by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to amplify the vital role community health centers (CHCs) play in improving health outcomes, expanding access to care, and strengthening communities.

For over 60 years, CHCs have delivered affordable, effective, comprehensive, and trusted care — in the neighborhoods where people live, work, and raise their families. The “Building Care With You” campaign unifies and elevates the voice of CHCs across the country as the largest primary care network in this nation, by:

• educating local residents, community partners, and policymakers about the full range of services CHCs provide;
• strengthening patient trust and engagement with CHCs in their communities; and
• reinforcing the importance of ongoing investments in CHCs at the local, state, and federal levels.

Headquartered in Scranton, The Wright Center has a growing network of community health centers across Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. Its locations offer affordable, comprehensive, high-quality, whole-person primary and preventive health services to people of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, addiction and recovery, and Ryan White HIV services.

The “Building Care With You” campaign is a national branding and awareness initiative led by NACHC. Through shared storytelling, it aims to build long-term recognition of CHCs as the provider, employer, and partner of choice. Visit NACHC.org for more information.

Dr. Gail Brenner, a board-certified audiologist and founder of the Tinnitus Treatment Center of Philadelphia, will be a guest speaker at the Tinnitus Support Group of Northeast Pennsylvania meeting on Friday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. 

The Tinnitus support group welcomes individuals living with tinnitus, their loved ones, and anyone interested in learning more about this complex audiological and neurological condition. Participants can connect, share their experiences, and explore coping strategies in a compassionate and supportive environment. New participants are always welcome. Virtual meeting options are available for those unable to attend in person.

The support group meets on the first Friday of each month from 2-3 p.m. For more information or to obtain the virtual meeting link, contact Nicole Flynn, director of the geriatrics service line at The Wright Center for Community Health, at [email protected] or 570-230-0019.

The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton will host a Caregivers Resource Fair on Thursday, Nov. 20, offering family members and caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia an opportunity to connect with local support services and learn more about the Scranton JCC’s Café Connections and a regional support group.

The Wright Center for Community Health’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program offers coordinated, comprehensive support for patients, families, and caregivers. The initiative is part of Age-Friendly Lackawanna, a collaborative network of nearly 30 community organizations dedicated to improving quality of life for older adults across the county.

“Caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s or dementia can be both deeply meaningful and incredibly challenging,” said Nicole Flynn, director of the geriatrics service line at The Wright Center for Community Health. “Events like our Caregivers Resource Fair help families know they’re not alone. By connecting caregivers with local programs, education, and one another, we can build a strong, more compassionate network of support in our community.” 

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement teamed up with the Captain James R. Minicozzi Memorial Race, through the UNICO Scranton Chapter, to donate 200 pairs of Bombas socks to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania for the children’s Christmas party in December. 

Participating in the program, from left, are Jessica Burton, member coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Mary Marrara, co-chair of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement Board of Directors and secretary of The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors; Leslie Minicozzi Galacci, race director and chairperson for the UNICO Scranton Chapter; and Holly Przasnyski, director of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement and board coordinator for The Wright Center for Community Health and The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement. 

Bombas is a comfort-focused, basics apparel brand with a mission to help those experiencing housing insecurity. The company was founded in 2013 when it learned that socks are the No. 1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. Bombas currently donates the top 3 most requested clothing items by Giving Partners: socks, underwear, and T-shirts. For every item purchased, a thoughtfully designed item is donated to someone at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. To date, Bombas has donated over 150 million items. 

A teaching hospitalist and physician has joined The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education.  

Dr. Faiza Hassan will serve as a teaching hospitalist for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine Residency Program, supervising resident physicians in clinical learning environments across Northeast Pennsylvania, including Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and Geisinger Community Health Center.

Dr. Hassan earned her medical degree from Fatima Jinnah Medical University in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. She moved to the United States in 2014 and completed her internal medicine residency at Central Michigan University Health in Saginaw, Michigan, in July 2025. The program focuses on training resident physicians for careers as hospitalists and primary care physicians. 

The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education was established in 1976 as the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, a community-based internal medicine residency program. 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. Together with consortium stakeholders, The Wright Center trains resident and fellow physicians in a community-based, community-needs-responsive workforce development model to advance its mission to improve the health and welfare of communities through responsive, whole-person health services for all and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

The Wright Center’s growing network of community health centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties provides affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services to everyone, regardless of insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care.