The Wright Center for Community Health’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care (ADC) Program, based on the award-winning UCLA Program, is now listed in a national database of proven, effective dementia care programs.

Best Programs for Caregiving, a partnership between the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging and Family Caregiver Alliance, is a free, searchable, and interactive database that helps families and caregivers find the right program for their loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The website includes descriptions of the program, whether it is offered in-person or online, information on providers, eligibility criteria, how to enroll, languages offered, and more. To see The Wright Center’s ADC Program listing, visit bpc.caregiver.org/caregivers/12/967.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, 6.7 million people 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s dementia in the United States, including over 280,000 in Pennsylvania. The report says there were an estimated 404,000 family caregivers in Pennsylvania in 2022.

“The Wright Center is very proud of the care we provide to patients and caregivers in this program,” said Nicole Lipinski, director of the geriatric service line. “It’s an honor to be listed in this database, especially as we continue to grow the program and provide patient-centered care for all participants.”

The Wright Center for Community Health, headquartered in Scranton, operates 10 primary and preventive care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health. Its locations offer integrated whole-person primary health services, meaning patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. For more information about The Wright Center’s integrated whole-person primary health services or for the nearest location, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE) received 10,000 pairs of Bombas socks to distribute to people experiencing homelessness and residents who are going through financial hardship. Participating in the delivery of the donation, from left, are Mary Marrara, co-chair of the PCE Board; Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, and co-chair of the PCE Board; Kara Seitzinger, director of public affairs; Helayna Szescila, deputy chief governance officer; the Rev. Ryan Glenn, pastor of Christ the King and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Archbald; and Gerri McAndrew, director of development & relations for community outreach.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE) received 10,000 pairs of warm, cozy socks from Bombas to distribute to people experiencing homelessness and hardship throughout the region.

PCE, a subsidiary of The Wright Center for Community Health, focuses on improving access to health care while addressing patients’ needs, including food insecurity, homelessness, poverty, and access to education. Throughout the year, PCE hosts clothing giveaways at Wright Center for Community Health locations and community events. Additionally, it hosts regular food distributions, backpack and school supply giveaways, and provides transportation vouchers to patients who have difficulty getting to and from doctors’ appointments.

The socks will be distributed to people experiencing homelessness, as well as residents who are experiencing financial hardship or emergency situations, according to Holly Przasnyski, director of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement.

“We’re thrilled to receive this generous donation from Bombas,” she said. “A pair of socks can be such a comfort.”

Bombas is a comfort-focused, basic apparel brand with a mission to help those in need. The company was originally founded in 2013 because socks are the No. 1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. Underwear and T-shirts are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. While the brand started with and is known for its extremely comfortable socks, Bombas used its expertise in comfort to launch into apparel with T-shirts in 2019 and, most recently, underwear in 2021. For every item purchased, a specially designed item is donated to someone at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. To date, Bombas has donated over 100 million items.

For more information about PCE, call 570.343.2383, ext. 1444, or visit TheWrightCenter.org/ patient-and-community-engagement.

The Wright Center for Community Health is partnering with the Lacawac Sanctuary to introduce the internationally popular Walk with a Doc program to Wayne County beginning Saturday, April 13 at 9 a.m. The program brings doctors and patients together at 94 Sanctuary Rd., Lake Ariel, to take a step toward better health on the second Saturday of every month.

Walk with a Doc is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire communities through movement and conversation. The walk is open to the community and people of all ages. Participation is free and pre-registration is not required. Walkers will enjoy a refreshing and rejuvenating walk with doctors and other health care professionals, who will provide support to participants and answer questions during the walk.

“I’m very pleased to announce that our resident and fellow physicians and other primary care providers at The Wright Center are participating with the Lacawac Sanctuary to bring this exciting program to Wayne County,” said Nicole Lipinski, a registered nurse and director of the Geriatric Service Line at The Wright Center for Community Health. “It has shown such improved health results for countless people around the world.”

The Wright Center will also launch a Walk with a Doc program in Archbald this summer. On the first Saturday of every month, starting June 1, doctors and residents meet at the Laurel Street Trail Head to walk around the David P. Maslar Memorial Park. The walk begins at the Laurel Street Trail Head.

Walking as little as 30 minutes a day can improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels, help maintain a healthy body weight, and lower the risk of obesity, enhance mental well-being, and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, according to the American Heart Association.

Using information from 16 studies conducted between January 2000 and May 2023, Dr. Sood and her fellow researchers evaluated hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, in more than 1 million people who were above the age of 18 years from six countries without any prior history of hypertension over a follow-up duration of 2.4 to 18 years. Several potential confounding factors could contribute to the link between less sleep and higher blood pressure, including lifestyle factors such as poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and psychological stressors. Those factors were not explicitly adjusted for in the study and could influence both sleep patterns and blood pressure, Dr. Sood said.

“So often, not getting enough sleep is something we take lightly,” Dr. Sood said. “It’s something you should talk to your doctor about because it can affect your health.”

Dr. Sood said more study is needed to understand the link between sleep and hypertension, and she is interested in pursuing further research.

“There are a lot of different theories attached to this research topic,” she said. “It could be that the lack of sleep is stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. If you do not sleep enough, your body could be stressed, which can also make your blood pressure go up.”

The native of Punjab, Northwest India, earned her medical degree from Washington University of Health & Science in San Pedro Town, Belize, in December 2019. After returning home to assist her parents, who are both physicians, in treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, she returned to the United States in July 2021 to begin her Internal Medicine Residency at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

This isn’t the first time she’s worked with other doctors across the world on medical research.

“I believe that if you want to make a difference, you have to bring minds from all over the world together,” Dr. Sood said. “Everyone’s mind works differently, and each idea can bloom into something new.”

The results of Dr. Sood’s collaborative study have been published by numerous news outlets, including Physician’s Weekly, Sleep Review, Health Day, and Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE) Golf Committee members, front row from left, are Mary Marrara, co-chair of PCE; Peter Moses, honorary chair; and Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and co-chair of PCE; second row, Wright Center employees Lori Cotrone, Kara Seitzinger, Helayna Szescila, Ron Daniels, Edward Walsh, Jane Danish, and Mark Zulkoski.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE) will hold its second annual charity golf tournament on Monday, May 13 at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic to support patients throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.

The captain-and-crew Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament will feature a shotgun start at 10 a.m., following registration from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. The driving range opens at 8:30 a.m.

The tournament is in honor of the late John P. Moses, Esq. a Wilkes-Barre native, influential attorney, and longtime philanthropist whose leadership was key in helping facilitate the establishment of The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice, the largest primary health center in the nonprofit’s network of 10 locations in Northeast Pennsylvania. The new Luzerne County location opened on Jan. 9, 2023, after the urgent relocation of its clinic from First Hospital in Kingston, amidst the hospital’s closure.

The Wright Center plans to name the Wilkes-Barre Practice building, at 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave., after Moses, who passed away on Oct. 31, 2022.

His many meaningful contributions to the nonprofit sector can never be overstated. It is a privilege to raise resources in his honor to ensure everyone has access to high-quality, whole-person primary health services, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay.”

PCE aims to improve the health of our communities through education, advocacy, and patient-centered services that help individuals overcome food insecurity, homelessness, and other factors. Factors also include limited access to educational opportunities and a lack of financial resources. To address the needs of our regional communities, PCE’s team and volunteers hold community outreach activities, including nutritious food distributions of nonperishable items and fresh produce, coat and winterwear giveaways, back-to-school distributions of backpacks and classroom supplies, health fairs, blood drives, and other special mission-driven projects.

Last year’s inaugural charity golf tournament raised more than $40,000. The tournament is named after the late William M. Waters, Ph.D., who served as vice chair of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Board of Directors and co-chair of PCE. He passed away on July 21, 2022.

The entry fee for golfers is $275 or $1,100 for a foursome, which includes a golf cart, green fee, lunch, and beverage service on the course, followed by a 3 p.m. cocktail hour and 4 p.m. dinner. Tickets for the dinner only are $100.

Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin, longest drive, and hole-in-one, including a special prize for a hole-in-one on a designated hole: a 2024 Honda Accord LX, courtesy of Matt Burne Honda, an event sponsor. Other event sponsors are: Audacy; Community Bank, N.A.; and PNC.

Various sponsorship levels, starting at just $300, are available for the tournament. For sponsorship details and inquiries, please contact Holly Przasnyski, PCE board coordinator, at [email protected] or 570-209-3275.

Prior to The Wright Center, Gill was an attending physician at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and an assistant professor at Penn State College of Medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She also saw patients at the Penn State Medical Group Camp Hill.

A Penn State University graduate, Gill received her Doctor of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She completed her residency in family medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s St. Margaret Hospital. At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Gill completed a fellowship in faculty development, where she also earned a multidisciplinary master’s degree in public health.

Gill is a member of the American Association of Family Physicians, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and Family Medicine Education Consortium. She is on the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health, the chairperson of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Oral Health Collaborative, and a steering committee member of Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum.

The Wright Center is one of the largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education consortiums in the nation. It offers residencies in four disciplines – family medicine, internal medicine, physical medicine & rehabilitation, and psychiatry – as well as fellowships in cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology, and geriatrics. All of its programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Visit TheWrightCenter.org to learn more about how The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s physician workforce pipeline is educating and training the next generation of physicians and interprofessional providers.