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The Wright Center for Community Health Awarded Nearly $1M to Implement a Rural Communities Opioid Response Program
Working within a consortium of community funders, The Wright Center for Community Health will extend naloxone administration training, opioid pregnancy recovery and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs in Wayne and Susquehanna counties, leveraging existing telemedicine networks, behavioral health, Ryan White Infectious Disease/viral hepatitis C (HCV) service lines and its state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence (OUD-COE). The organization will lead the effort to establish medication-assisted treatment programs within each county, leveraging a network of MAT-waivered providers, case managers, certified recovery specialists, mental health counselors and psychosocial supports.
“We are pleased to serve as lead partner in this consortium to strengthen and expand substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services in rural areas. Activities will focus on Wayne and Susquehanna counties and include medication assisted treatment, case management and social supports. We are grateful for these federal resources that will help us overcome barriers to access in our rural communities,” stated Maria Montoro-Edwards, PhD, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Grants, The Wright Center for Community Health.
Key partners within the consortium include Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc., Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Commission.
Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Executive Director Jeff Zerechak added, “The grant will allow the agency to also provide crucial case management and recovery specialist services to Wayne County residents in need. During the next three years, this grant will translate into an additional $100,000 for Wayne County.”
The Wright Center for Community Health and its affiliated entity, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, is a non-profit, community-based graduate medical education consortium and safety-net provider of primary care services with a mission to improve the health and welfare of our community through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.
The Wright Center for Community Health provides healthcare services for children and adults through a Patient-Centered Medical Home model, a welcoming setting in which a patient’s healthcare team, led by a single trusted healthcare provider, works collectively to coordinate care and meet physical and mental health needs. The Wright Center for Community Health’s team is focused on innovations to make primary care more efficient, effective, affordable and satisfying to patients and providers. The Wright Center for Community Health’s clinics are located in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Clarks Summit and Jermyn.
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residencies, as well as our Cardiovascular Disease and Gastroenterology Fellowships, were designed to empower residents as innovators and nimble leaders responsive to the needs of the community they serve. Each year, nearly 200 residents and fellows are immersed in diverse community venues where they are most needed, increasing their long-term likelihood of working in such settings after completing their training. Our training model follows the national Beyond Flexner movement, focused on training community-minded health professionals as agents of more equitable healthcare. To date, more than 800 physicians practicing all across the country have completed their medical training with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.
Jennifer Hetro
Associate Vice President, Marketing Communications
Office: 570-591-5147
Cell: 570-290-2670