‘Like family:’ Following in her mother’s footsteps, a licensed practical nurse finds an opportunity to help patients at The Wright Center

Jocelyn Griffin, a licensed practical nurse, is an LPN coordinator at The Wright Center for Community Health Tunkhannock where she provides personal attention to dozens of patients who have chronic conditions. 

Whenever someone asks Jocelyn Griffin why she loves being a nurse, she tells the same story.

Early in her career as a licensed practical nurse (LPN), she was working for a doctor at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton. One day, while assisting a senior patient collect a urine sample, the power suddenly went out.

“There I was, using my phone’s flashlight app for some light so we could get this sample,” the 26-year-old said. “Everyone in the office was laughing about it. But the patient and I made it work.”

Griffin said the situation, absurd as it was, reminded her why she wanted to be a nurse for as long as she can remember: to help people. She’s followed in the footsteps of her mother, Nicole Flynn, a registered nurse and director of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Geriatrics Service Line – first, as she chose her career and again when she began working for The Wright Center as an LPN in 2021.

The Hop Bottom resident works as an LPN coordinator at The Wright Center for Community Health Tunkhannock, which opened in September on the fourth floor of the former Tyler Memorial Hospital, 5950 U.S. Route 6, Suite 401. One of The Wright Center’s newest locations provides responsive, whole-person health services for all, including checkups, physicals, screenings, and treatment for common illnesses and injuries.

The most satisfying parts of her job are checking in daily on several patients at a Blakely nursing home and managing more than a dozen chronic care patients each month – many of whom are being treated for diabetes, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or other conditions.

“The patients almost become like family,” Griffin said. “Because I call them regularly to check on them, I get to know everything about them.”

In many instances, Griffin added, the care she can offer as an LPN goes beyond a patient’s physical health. During her frequent check-ins, some of her patients with chronic illnesses will share with her their difficulties in getting to and from a doctor’s appointment, their worries about not being able to buy groceries or pay their utility bills, and more.

Many of her patients don’t realize that Griffin can connect them to community health workers at The Wright Center, who have a deep familiarity with available social services in the region and can usually assist a patient with securing life’s necessities – including temporary housing, utility bill assistance, transportation to and from medical appointments, insurance, food, or clothing. Additionally, The Wright Center hosts regular food pantries, clothing closets, school backpack giveaways, and other events at their community health centers across the region, offering patients convenient and discreet help with basic needs.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to help them and be involved in their care,” Griffin said. “If patients get help with their basic needs, then they can focus more on their health.”

Griffin said it’s also fulfilling to be a part of The Wright Center’s newest community health center in the Wyoming County Healthcare Center, where she can serve people in her community. She’s also taking steps to reach her next goal, starting classes to prepare her to become a registered nurse.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity to grow as a nurse and continue to help people,” she said. “I like being connected to the community and offering the kind of care they need.”