The Wright Center for Community Health Tunkhannock will begin offering dental services for children and adults on Monday, Aug. 3. The Wright Center is located on the fourth floor of the Wyoming County Healthcare Center. To make an appointment, call 570-591-5299.
The Wright Center for Community Health Tunkhannock will begin offering dental services at its community health center in the Wyoming County Healthcare Center on Monday, Aug. 3.
Dental services for children and adults will be available between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at The Wright Center for Community Health Tunkhannock, 5950 U.S. Route 6, Suite 401. Appointments can be made now by calling 570-591-5299.
Dr. Frank Pagano, a dentist with more than 30 years of experience, will lead the dental clinic. He and other members of The Wright Center for Community Health’s team, including a dental hygienist, will provide affordable, high-quality oral care services, including routine exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, extractions, restorations, dentures, and other procedures.
“We know there is a significant need for dental care in Tunkhannock and throughout Wyoming County, and the response from the community has already been tremendous, with patients calling to schedule appointments,” said Kimberly McGoff, director of dental services at The Wright Center for Community Health. “By expanding access to essential oral health services in this rural community, we are helping remove barriers to care and advancing our mission to improve the health and well-being of the people we serve across the region.”
किम्बर्ली म्याकगोफ
The community health center accepts most dental insurances, including Delta Dental, Guardian, United Concordia, and Medical Assistance (Medicaid). To ensure high-quality oral care is available to everyone, The Wright Center for Community Health offers a sliding-fee discount program for individuals who qualify based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines, which take into account family size and income. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay.
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education acknowledged the first graduating class from the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program on Saturday. Members of the class include, from left, Drs. Aliy Mirza Ahmed, Kevin Nguyen, Bradley Bierman, Kenneth Gentilezza, program director; Abhinav Arora, and Alan Trung Lam.
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education celebrated 67 resident and fellow physician graduates during its 47th annual commencement on Saturday, June 20, at Hilton Scranton and Conference Center.
The commencement ceremony honored 42 graduates in The Wright Center’s Internal Medicine Residency, 13 in the National Family Medicine Residency, five in the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency programs and three each in the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship and Geriatrics Fellowship programs, and one in the Gastroenterology Fellowship Program.
The Class of 2026 joins more than 1,100 resident and fellow physicians who have completed their residency and fellowship programs since The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education began educating and training physicians in 1976.
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, addresses the Class of 2026 on Saturday, June 20, at Hilton Scranton and Conference Center.
“For the past 50 years, The Wright Center and its extraordinarily talented and dedicated governing board members, faculty, physicians, learners, care teams, support staff, and community partners have demonstrated our belief that the environments where physicians train and serve determines their future,” Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, said during the ceremony.
“Our physician-training mission began with a visionary investment: a $1 million Federal Bureau of Health Manpower grant awarded in 1976 to demonstrate that community-immersed graduate medical education could strengthen the physician and interprofessional workforce and the health of entire communities.”
Graduation speakers also included Dr. Jumee Barooah, senior vice president of education and designated institutional official at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. She noted that Saturday’s ceremony was a celebration of another milestone: The Wright Center’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program’s first graduating class since its launch in 2022.
“To all of tonight’s graduates: congratulations,” she said. “This moment belongs to you. It also belongs to the families, friends, mentors, faculty members, colleagues, and loved ones who stood beside you through every overnight shift, every exam, every difficult conversation, and every moment of doubt and growth along the way.”
Founded in 1976, The Wright Centers for Community Health, Graduate Medical Education, and Patient & Community Engagement is a physician-led, community-owned nonprofit and a cornerstone of health care in the region.
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 organization employs more than 677 professionals and trains nearly 200 resident and fellow physicians, as well as more than 200 interprofessional health care learners each year.
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s residency and fellowship programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Hoeffer Chi Kit Mok, D.O.; Alexander Silva, D.O.; William Eaton Smith, D.O.; Cody Boltz, D.O.; Daniel Woojin Jang, D.O.; Conner Saul Hendryx, D.O.; V. Chrysta Sahakian, D.O.; Victoria Bao Quynh Nguyen, D.O.; Claudine C. Nwadiozor, D.O.; Stephen Kyle Phelps, D.O.; Kenneth Charles Terry II, D.O.; Taylor Andrew Sutton, D.O.; and Jonathan Yi, D.O.
शारीरिक चिकित्सा र पुनस्र्थापना
Aliy Mirza Ahmed, D.O.; Abhinav Arora, D.O.; Bradley Carl Bierman, D.O.; Alan Trung Lam, D.O., and Kevin Nguyen, D.O.
जेरियाट्रिक्स फेलोशिप
Padman Kumari, M.D.; Murk, M.D.; and Abdul Rafay Soomro, M.D.
Cardiovascular Fellowship
Khyati Khattar, M.D.; Muhammad Sabih Saleem, M.D.; and Dipen Vallabhdas Zalavadia, M.D.
Dr. Caitlin McCarthy, left, examines a patient at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton. The dentist was appointed to a state advisory group.
Dr. Caitlin McCarthy, local site director of the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and a practicing dentist dedicated to expanding access to oral health care in Northeast Pennsylvania, has been selected to serve on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Oral Health Program Oral Health Plan Advisory Group.
Dr. McCarthy was appointed to a two-year term from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, and will represent Pennsylvania’s provider sector. She was selected to help guide the implementation of the Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan 2020-2030, a statewide framework focused on improving oral health outcomes, reducing disparities, strengthening the oral health workforce, and expanding access to preventive and restorative dental care.
The Oral Health Plan Advisory Group provides recommendations to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Oral Health Program regarding priorities for implementing the state’s oral health plan and champions initiatives designed to improve oral health across the commonwealth. The advisory group includes representatives from multiple sectors involved in oral health promotion, education, policy, clinical care, and public health.
“I am honored to serve on the Oral Health Plan Advisory Group and contribute to efforts that improve oral health across Pennsylvania,” said Dr. McCarthy, of Jenkins Twp. “Every patient deserves access to high-quality oral health care, regardless of where they live or their circumstances. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the commonwealth to help advance solutions that strengthen our dental workforce, expand access to care, and improve health outcomes for all Pennsylvanians.”
A Scranton native and West Scranton High School graduate, Dr. McCarthy received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and completed a General Practice Residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Muhlenberg Hospital. She earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, graduating with dual majors in biology and biomathematics while also completing minors in biochemistry and English. During her undergraduate years, she was inducted into five honor societies, consistently earned dean’s list recognition, and participated in an international service trip to Guyana.
डा. क्याटलिन म्याककार्थी
Building her career around serving the communities that shaped her, Dr. McCarthy joined The Wright Center in 2019 and played a key role in launching dental services at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, located in South Side at 501 S. Washington Ave., Suite 1000. Since then, she has provided comprehensive dental care to a diverse patient population, including many individuals and families who face barriers to accessing routine oral health services.
Her daily work gives her firsthand insight into issues that remain significant challenges throughout Pennsylvania, including workforce shortages, affordability concerns, access barriers for Medicaid recipients, and disparities in oral health outcomes among underserved populations.
In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Dr. McCarthy also serves as local site director of The Wright Center’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program, offered through a partnership with New York University Langone Health Dental Medicine. In this role, she helps train and mentor future dentists while supporting community-based dental education and workforce development initiatives throughout Northeast Pennsylvania. Her leadership reflects The Wright Center’s integrated approach to improving community health by simultaneously expanding access to high-quality oral health services and strengthening the future dental workforce through community-based training.
“Dr. McCarthy’s selection to the Oral Health Plan Advisory Group is both a well-deserved recognition of her expertise and a reflection of the meaningful contributions she continues to make to oral health care in our region,” said Kimberly McGoff, director of dental operations at The Wright Center. “As an exceptional clinician, respected educator, and dedicated advocate for accessible, patient-centered care, she understands firsthand the opportunities and challenges facing both patients and dental professionals. Through her leadership in clinical practice and dental residency education, she has helped improve access to care while shaping the next generation of oral health providers. Her experience, insight, and unwavering commitment to service will make her a tremendous asset to this important statewide effort to strengthen oral health outcomes for all Pennsylvanians.”
A Marywood University and Misericordia University alumna who has spent the last two decades advocating for and securing investments to support higher education has joined The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education as its first chief philanthropy officer and vice president of grants and strategic initiatives.
Renee Gregori Zehel, Ph.D.
Renée Gregori Zehel, Ph.D., worked in business development in the health care industry for seven years before she returned to Northeast Pennsylvania in 1998 to serve in leadership roles at Misericordia and Marywood universities. There, she led transformative advancement initiatives, helping secure significant philanthropic investments that increased educational access and strengthened institutional sustainability. Most recently, she was vice president of university advancement at Marywood, where she led the successful completion of a $30 million campaign to expand health sciences programs, which will help strengthen the regional health care workforce and broaden educational opportunities.
At The Wright Center, Zehel will spearhead the development of a new philanthropic foundation and guide its related endeavors. She will design overarching fundraising strategies and direct philanthropic events to build community support. She will also be responsible for driving grant development efforts across the organization.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts from then-Marywood College and a Master of Science degree in education from then-College Misericordia, she completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in human development at Marywood University. Across the region, Zehel has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the African Sisters Education Collaborative and the Patient Safety Council at Lehigh Valley Hospital – Dickson City. She and her husband, Shawn Zehel, reside in Scranton and have two adult children.
The Wright Center for Community Health will join an effort to identify and prioritize service needs for families living in rural communities.
Leading this effort is the Children’s Service Center of Wyoming Valley Inc. (CSC), which received a grant of $36,000 to facilitate a community health needs assessment in Wyoming County. AllOne Charities and Moses Taylor Foundation are funding the project through the AllOne Charities Collaborative Philanthropy Fund. In addition to The Wright Center and CSC, the project includes Wyoming County Health Center Inc. and The Guthrie Clinic/Guthrie Tunkhannock. Plans call to engage other interested providers as planning and resource development efforts unfold.
The participants have partnered with The Institute, the Northeast Pennsylvania research partnership among regional colleges and universities and the business community, to complete the assessment in spring and summer 2026 in preparation for potential funding available through the Rural Health Transformation Program in Pennsylvania and other sources.
According to CSC President and CEO Christopher Boyle, these Tunkhannock-based providers entered discussions earlier this year to explore partnerships that will further address geographic, financial, and other barriers to care for patients in Wyoming County.
“Our discussion verified multiple areas of concern – limited availability and growing demand for outpatient services, medical specialty care, and the travel required to receive care for medical emergencies in Towanda, Wilkes-Barre or Scranton,” Boyle said.
Lindsay Shalata, executive director of Wyoming County Healthcare Center Inc., agreed.
“The consensus among the group was that more information would be necessary to effectively document community health needs, not only from readily available health data, but also from the actual experiences of patients and providers in Wyoming County’s rural communities. We are committed to finding more effective solutions that draw on the strengths of multiple providers for greater community benefit,” she said.
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Center, said this collaborative community health needs assessment for Wyoming County represents a critical and deeply meaningful opportunity to more fully understand and respond to the interconnected medical, behavioral, dental, and health-related social needs that shape health and well-being across rural communities.
“This collective effort reflects the growing recognition that no single organization alone can fully address the increasingly complex realities influencing health in rural communities,” Dr. Thomas-Hemak said. “By listening carefully to patients, families, employers, educators, clinicians, health services team members, and community stakeholders, we can better align action strategies to expand whole-person health services, strengthen care coordination, enrich outreach and prevention efforts, and support more responsive workforce and care delivery planning. Most importantly, this work creates opportunities for unprecedented collaboration, while collectively striving to advance the health, well-being, and future vitality of Wyoming County.”
डा. लिन्डा थोमस-हेमाक
The Guthrie Clinic’s commitment to improving rural health is grounded in ensuring patient safety and leveraging technology to improve access to its hospital-based and ambulatory services in Pennsylvania and upstate New York, according to Paul VerValin, executive vice president and chief operating officer.
“Every community has unique needs and we want to learn more. This needs assessment will complement our goals in Wyoming County, where we are serving a growing number of people and want to better engage patients and care partners to improve health and well-being in rural communities,” VerValin said.
The project collaborators are eager to deliver actionable solutions at a critical time for Northeastern Pennsylvania to develop and initiate a plan for improving healthcare issues affecting Wyoming County. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has secured $193 million in annual federal funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program – part of a $50 billion national initiative to modernize rural care, address hospital closures, and strengthen the health care workforce over five fiscal years.
Boyle added, “As providers in Wyoming County, we need to be ready with a clearer picture on community needs and priorities that will align with this potential funding – which focuses on technology, EMS, maternal and behavioral health, and regional care collaboration. We want to strengthen the healthcare landscape by developing better strategies to improve communication and facilitating shared objectives to advance rural healthcare delivery.”
Dr. Mary Louise Decker, the infectious diseases medical director at The Wright Center for Community Health, was honored with an award from a national advocacy group for her meaningful, evidence-based hepatitis C and HIV prevention and treatment efforts across Northeast Pennsylvania.
The Community Liver Alliance awarded Dr. Decker the You Make a Difference Award, which honors individuals who have made a meaningful impact in advancing liver health by supporting patients and families, and strengthening communities. She accepted the award at the Community Liver Alliance’s 12th annual You Make a Difference Awards Luncheon on Friday, May 1, at the Kamin Science Center in Pittsburgh.
Dr. Decker, a board-certified infectious diseases physician, leads The Wright Center’s Ryan White HIV and Infectious Diseases Clinic. She earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she completed her residency in internal medicine and fellowship in infectious diseases. She has more than 20 years of clinical experience in treating complex bacterial and viral infections in the inpatient and outpatient setting, in providing comprehensive care for people living with or at risk for acquiring HIV, in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections, and with antibiotic stewardship and hospital infection control.
In 2020, Dr. Decker established The Wright Center’s dedicated Hepatitis C Clinic, creating a pathway for screening, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up. Since its inception, the clinic has successfully treated more than 400 patients with chronic hepatitis C, many of whom faced significant barriers to care.
Dr. Mary Louise Decker
Under Dr. Decker’s leadership, The Wright Center for Community Health’s Ryan White HIV and Infectious Diseases Clinic has been a leader in HIV testing, treatment, and support in the region. The clinic serves nearly 500 patients across seven counties, providing coordinated, whole-person care at community health centers in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.
Through her efforts, viral suppression rates among patients receiving antiretroviral therapy improved from 86% to 96%. Gaps in care were reduced to under 10%. Vaccine compliance increased significantly, including a greater than 70% HPV vaccine rate among those eligible and a 50% rise in varicella-zoster vaccination.
Dr. Decker is accepting new adult patients at our community health centers in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. To schedule an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-941-0630.
