‘A blank canvas’
The Wright Center models the future of community health with expansion in Wilkes-Barre
The waiting room at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre was expanded as part of the construction project to transform a 34,460-square-foot empty office building near the downtown into a health care destination.
To most, the former office building just a few blocks from the heart of downtown Wilkes-Barre was little more than another aging brick giant fading into the city’s landscape.
To The Wright Center for Community Health, however, the property at 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave. represented 34,460 square feet of opportunity. Three years later, the building has been transformed into a health care destination.
‘Intentionally designed’
Luzerne County ranks 61st out of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmap, underscoring the urgent need to expand and integrate primary health care services. Contributing factors to the rankings include adult smoking, adult obesity, physical inactivity, and excessive drinking that exceeds state and national averages, according to the foundation.
“We knew Luzerne County, and Wilkes-Barre especially, had an unmet need for affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, senior vice president and enterprise chief operations and strategy officer at The Wright Center. “This building presented an exceptional opportunity to establish a community health center that was intentionally designed to address the unique health needs of the community.”
Celebrating Pride of Place
The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre is proud to receive a 2025 Pride of Place Award from the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Each year, the chamber recognizes individuals and organizations who enhance the community’s physical landscape and quality of place through its Pride of Place Award. Winners enhance the physical landscape of the Greater Wyoming Valley area, contribute to the transformation and improvement of the community’s physical environment, and raise the bar in their fields, benefiting the community.
The Wright Center received the award at the chamber’s annual dinner on Nov. 13 at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Luzerne County ranks 61st out of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmap, underscoring the urgent need to expand and integrate primary health care services. Contributing factors to the rankings include adult smoking, adult obesity, physical inactivity, and excessive drinking that exceeds state and national averages, according to the foundation.
“We knew Luzerne County, and Wilkes-Barre especially, had an unmet need for affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary health services,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, senior vice president and enterprise chief operations and strategy officer at The Wright Center. “This building presented an exceptional opportunity to establish a community health center that was intentionally designed to address the unique health needs of the community.”
The Wright Center quickly outgrew previous community health centers in Luzerne County, so Dr. Sheth and other executives decided to find a building that could accommodate the growing needs of Luzerne County’s communities.
“We talked about what this community health center would look like over the next five to 10 years,” Dr. Sheth said. “We decided we needed about 30,000 square feet to give us room to grow.”
In addition to providing ample space, the building’s location was ideal, too. It offers plenty of off-street parking and is easily accessible by public transportation or on foot.
“There was absolutely a need for health care services in Wilkes-Barre, especially for low- to moderate-income families,” said Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, who noted the city has been a major supporter of The Wright Center. “This building is conveniently located in the heart of downtown, which makes it accessible to patients through public transportation and is within walking distance of many of the high-rises located in the city.”
After purchasing the building from King’s College in September 2022, executives at The Wright Center began planning how best to use the space. They hired Forty Fort-based Sordoni Construction to bring the vision for the new community health center to life.
Beyond providing high-quality, whole-person primary health services, leaders wanted the new building to include dental and behavioral health services, a pharmacy, a laboratory, and space to host community partners and learners training for family-sustaining jobs in health care. Patient feedback shaped design details, including handicap-accessible sliding entrance doors and more spacious exam rooms.
“We heard what our patients said,” Dr. Sheth acknowledged. “We took a blank canvas and incorporated a lot of suggestions about accessibility and convenience.”
Licensed professional counselor Carlie Kropp works with a patient in one of The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre’s new behavioral health rooms.
Dr. Mehreen Amin, at left, a third-year Internal Medicine resident physician, and Dr. Mary Louise Decker, a board-certified infectious disease physician and the infectious disease medical director for The Wright Center.
Stephanie Tanona, a nurse practitioner and the director of CRNP & PA-C services at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, treats a patient in one of the community health center’s exam rooms.
‘Critical in the region’
When The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre opened its doors to patients on Jan. 9, 2023, it offered about 18 medical exam rooms.
Phase Two of the project was completed in early 2024, expanding the number of clinical exam rooms to 45, including six multipurpose rooms that can be used for medical, behavioral health, or dental services. This phase also added meeting and office space to accommodate the growing number of staff and physician and interprofessional learners. The Wright Center’s community health centers serve as training sites for a variety of health care careers, including medical residents and fellows, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, community health workers, medical assistants, and more. These programs aim to address the growing demand locally and nationally for health care services and professionals.
The third phase opened in the summer of 2024, adding a new behavioral health wing featuring 30 comfortably furnished treatment rooms, including four that can be used for medical, behavioral health, or dental services. This phase of construction also added meeting rooms, offices, and dedicated space for case management, community-based substance use disorder treatment and recovery services, and medication-assisted treatment.
Dr. Michael Regan, a general practice dentist at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, demonstrates the Orthopantomograph 3D LX X-ray machine, with the help of Alyssa Nappi, an expanded function dental assistant.
That phase of construction also included a state-of-the-art dental wing – the largest in The Wright Center’s network. In addition to 10 dental operatories, the office features cutting-edge technology, including an Orthopantomograph 3D LX that can capture a single panoramic X-ray of the teeth, mandible, and maxilla, providing clinicians with more detailed information for diagnosis and treatment.
That phase also expanded the lobby, added a check-in desk, and provided a second entrance accessible from the parking lot behind the building. It also created a new meeting space, room to accommodate the growing number of staff and learners training for family-sustaining health care careers, and the Sanctuary Colonnade, which staff use for breaks and informal meetings.
In the summer of 2025, crews completed work on the final phase of construction, which included a 1,400-square-foot pharmacy – scheduled to open in spring 2026 – and a 1,400-square-foot lab. Both add valuable services for patients who may have trouble accessing these resources elsewhere, Dr. Sheth explained. Plans are underway to build and operate pharmacies at other Wright Center locations in the coming years.
“The most exciting part is, these ideas are replicable,” Dr. Sheth said. “We’ll use what we’ve learned here to design future community health centers.”
The last phase of construction also added a large conference room that Wright Center leaders are making available to community partners. One of them is The Institute, a regional think tank that utilizes office space within the newest section of the community health center.
“The Institute is an important partner and the work they do is critical in the region,” Dr. Sheth said. “Our missions overlap, so it just made sense to have them co-located with us.”
‘Compassion and comfort’
The community health center’s transformation was made possible by $4 million in state grants awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), according to Dr. Sheth. To qualify for RACP grants, projects must demonstrate a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact and either sustain existing levels or generate significant growth in employment, tax revenue, or other indicators of economic activity.
“We are so grateful to the state and the governor’s office for recognizing the importance of this project for Luzerne County and its residents,” Dr. Sheth said. “We are able to force-multiply every dollar to benefit the community as a whole, now and for decades to come.”
Dr. Sheth also praised Mayor Brown and the city of Wilkes-Barre for their continued support, noting that they recognized the importance of the project.
“The mayor and the city made us feel extremely welcome from the beginning,” Dr. Sheth said. “We could not have asked for more support for this visionary project.”
In addition to the impending launch of pharmacy and laboratory services, work focused on improving the building’s curb appeal is also underway. The parking lot was recently repaved, and New Market Tax Credit funding will help The Wright Center repair the sidewalk and add landscaping.
Work is underway to open a 1,400-square-foot pharmacy at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, part of ongoing efforts to transform the former office building into a health care destination.
The Wilkes-Barre mayor commended The Wright Center for its continued investment in the community.
“As mayor, I’m proud of the partnership the city and The Wright Center created,” Brown said. “The renovation of this once-vacant building has become a hub of compassion and comfort for patients.”
The Wright Center for Community Health recently received a Pride of Place Award from the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce for turning an empty office building in downtown Wilkes-Barre into a state-of-the-art medical facility for patients of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses. For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-491-0126.
By the numbers
The 34,460-square-foot Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre location features:
- 1 – 1,400-square-foot pharmacy
- 1 – 1,400-square-foot lab
- 1 – Conference room
- 45 – Clinical Exam Rooms, including 6 multipurpose rooms
- 10 – Dental Operatories
- 30 – Behavioral Health Treatment Rooms, including 4 multipurpose rooms
