The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest Open for Submissions

Area students in grades seven to 12 can participate in The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest 2021. The contest is offered free of charge and this year’s essay theme is “Caring for our Common Home.”

Essays for students in grades seven and eight must be between 200 to 400 words. Essays for students in grades nine to 12 must be between 300 to 500 words. Electronic submissions must be sent to susan.falbo@scranton.edu on or before Friday, April 9.

Visit the University’s Sustainability website for complete submission rules and details. Only electronic submissions will be accepted this year. Mail-in entries will not be accepted for 2021.

Winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced via an event hosted on The University of Scranton Sustainability Office Facebook page on Earth Day, April 22, beginning at 7 p.m.

This year marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day.

Allied Services Integrated Health System Announces Staff Promotions

Allied Services Integrated Health System announces the staff promotions of the following:

Brianna Hoban, NHA, PCHA, was announced as Administrator of Allied Services Skilled Nursing Center in Scranton.  Over the course of the last three years, Hoban has served as the Assistant Administrator for the 369-bed skilled nursing and has played an integral role in the development and implementation of regulatory policy and corrective audits and has confidently assisted with directing operations throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency. 

In addition to serving as the Administrator of the skilled nursing facility, Hoban will also continue in her role as Assistant Vice President of Skilled Nursing Administration. In this role, Brianna assists in providing operational and administrative support to the leaders of the health systems Wilkes-Barre-based skilled nursing divisions.  

Tracey Kopetz, CDM, was announced as Assistant Vice President of Allied Services Food and Hospitality Services. Kopetz joined Allied Services Dietary Department over fifteen years ago and has served in several roles during her tenure. Most recently as Assistant Vice President and Director of Dietary Operations at the health systems skilled nursing facility in Scranton. 

Kopetz will continue to provide support to the health systems skilled nursing centers in both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. In her newly expanded role, she will also coordinate with the managers of the Dietary Departments at both Allied Services Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Rehab Hospitals. Tracey will provide support to these divisions in the areas of resident menu development, staff budgeting, food and supply ordering, and regulatory compliance. 

Luke Bauman, RN was announced as Administrator of Allied Services Center City Skilled Nursing, where he will oversee operations at the 50-bed skilled nursing facility, as well as the 31-unit senior living apartment complex in Wilkes-Barre. Prior to his transition to Center City, Bauman had served for three years as the Director of Nursing for the health systems skilled nursing facility in Scranton. Additionally, Bauman served as the Executive Director of Nursing Services for the Meade Street and Center City campuses for the past year. Prior to joining Allied Services in 2018, Bauman brought with him years of experience as a Director of Nursing in larger nursing facilities in the Lehigh Valley area. 

Luke will continue to serve as Executive Director of Nursing Services. In his new role as Administrator, he will be responsible for the daily oversight of all departmental operations and assurance of regulatory compliance at the Center City Skilled Nursing location. 

Katlyn Kirkpatrick, CDM was announced asDirector of Dietary Services, for Allied Services Skilled Nursing Center in Scranton. Bringing sixteen years of long-term care experience with her, Katlyn joined the Allied Services team two years ago as the Assistant Director of Food Services. Katlyn is a Certified Dietary Manager who has assisted with the transformation of the food delivery service at the skilled nursing facility.   Katlyn will be responsible for the day-to-day dietary operations at the Scranton-based skilled nursing center, including resident meal delivery systems, personnel management, inventory control, and regulatory compliance. 

Nicole Clark was announced as Patient Finance Coordinator of Allied Services Skilled Center in Scranton. Clark joined Allied Services in 2017 and transitioned to the skilled nursing team in 2019. Clark has worked to transform several areas of the patient finance department, such as building effective relationships with state and local government agencies, strengthening the collaboration with interdisciplinary leaders, and prioritizing routine communication with residents and their families. 

Lackawanna College Named a Military Friendly® School

Lackawanna College earned the 2021-2022 Military Friendly® School designation by VIQTORY. The College has received this designation multiple times. Each year, the list of Military Friendly® Schools is provided to service members and their families to aid them in selecting the best college, university, or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career. More than 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey, with 750 schools earning the designation.

Being designated as Military Friendly® means that Lackawanna College shows a commitment to creating sustainable civilian opportunities for veterans. The College has developed several academic and social support programs to make the process of navigating the college experience easier and ensuring that veteran students meet all requirements set out in the most recent GI Bill® of benefits.

“Our student veterans bring great qualities that enhance our college community,” said Catherine Fox, Student Life Coordinator and Veterans Advisor for Lackawanna College. “We are proud to be chapter members of Student Veterans of America. We have a fantastic veterans lounge and participate in SALUTE, a National Honor Society specific to student veterans. We appreciate everything these students have done for their country and want to ensure that they are given the resources they need to succeed in college.”

Data for the Military Friendly® designation is acquired from public data sources, proprietary data from the Military Friendly® survey and personal data from surveys from veterans. All determinations are made by VIQTORY with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. The 2021-2022 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. The list can also be found at www.militaryfriendly.com For more information about Lackawanna’s commitment to attracting and supporting military students, visit lackawanna.edu/veterans.

Researchers Find AI Can Predict New Atrial Fibrillation, Stroke Risk

A team of scientists from Geisinger and Tempus have found that artificial intelligence can predict risk of new atrial fibrillation (AF) and AF-related stroke.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with numerous health risks, including stroke and death. The study, published in Circulation, used electrical signals from the heart—measured from a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG)—to identify patients who are likely to develop AF, including those at risk for AF-related stroke.

“Each year, over 300 million ECGs are performed in the U.S. to identify cardiac abnormalities within an episode of care. However, these tests cannot generally detect future potential for negative events like atrial fibrillation or stroke,” said Joel Dudley, chief scientific officer at Tempus. “This critical work stems from our major investments in cardiology to generate algorithms that make existing cardiology tests, such as ECGs, smarter and capable of predicting future clinical events. Our goal is to enable clinicians to act earlier in the course of disease.”

To develop their model, the team of data scientists and medical researchers used 1.6 million ECGs from 430,000 patients over 35 years of patient care at Geisinger. These data were used to train a deep neural network—a specialized class of artificial intelligence—to predict, among patients without a previous history of AF, who would develop AF within 12 months. The neural network performance exceeded that of current clinical models for predicting AF risk. Furthermore, 62% of patients without known AF who experienced an AF-related stroke within three years were identified as high risk by the model before the stroke occurred.

“Not only can we now predict who is at risk of developing atrial fibrillation, but this work shows that the high risk prediction precedes many AF-related strokes,” said Brandon Fornwalt, M.D., Ph.D., co-senior author and chair of Geisinger’s Department of Translational Data Science and Informatics. “With that kind of information, we can change the way these patients are screened and treated, potentially preventing such severe outcomes. This is huge for patients.”

Geisinger and Tempus continue to work together to advance precision medicine using practical applications of artificial intelligence. Funding for this project was provided by Geisinger Clinic and Tempus.

Geisinger has an exciting research environment with more than 50 full-time research faculty and more than 30 clinician scientists. Areas of expertise include precision health, genomics, informatics, data science, implementation science, outcomes research, health services research, bioethics and clinical trials.

Go Globe Trotting at Wally Wine Fest

It may not be possible to travel far right now, but during Wally Wine Fest you can take your taste buds on a tantalizing journey across the globe. The three-day event in Hawley, April 9-11, features a vast array of domestic and international brands from wine regions around the world. Guest Chef Nok Suntaranon will bring A Taste of Thailand to The Settlers Inn on April 9 for a dinner paired with J. Lohr wines to kick off Wally Wine Fest weekend.

Chef Nok has garnered numerous accolades since arriving on the Philadelphia restaurant scene. She opened Kalaya Authentic Thai Kitchen in 2019, which became an overnight sensation. James Beard named Kalaya a finalist for its Best New Restaurant 2020 award and Esquire placed the eatery at number one on its list of the 23 Best New Restaurants in America. The traditional dishes of Chef Nok’s homeland will be paired with selections from J. Lohr Vineyards. Founder Jerry Lohr was a pioneer in establishing California’s Central Coast as a world-class wine growing region. The award-winning winery is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Wally Wine Fest platinum ticket holders enjoy entry to the J. Lohr Thai Wine Dinner as well as one tasting session during the weekend.

Tickets may be purchased for one of three seated wine tasting sessions offered on both Saturday and Sunday at The Waterfront at Silver Birches. During the two-hour sessions, attendees will enjoy four small plate tasting courses accompanied by three wine samples per tasting. Ticket holders will select their top three sampling choices from eight different wines for each course. Settlers Hospitality Sommelier, Claude Briere, has personally chosen the featured wines, which include domestic and international labels. Tastings are scheduled from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 2-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. each day. Tables may be reserved for groups from two to 10 people. A Champagne Brunch at The Settlers Inn on Saturday and Sunday  from 11 am. To 2:30 p.m. adds a bit of sparkle to the festival. Visitors may savor a prix fixe brunch menu, live music and a tasting flight of three French champagnes including Veuve Clicquot. Wine seminars all weekend let attendees brush up on a classic pairing- wine and cheese. The 90 Point Wine and Cheese Seminar will feature pours rated 90 or better by Wine Spectator along with a selection of imported cheeses. Sommelier Luciana Nunez will lead the seminars, which are scheduled for Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The cost is $50 per person.

“Each year we really try to raise the bar and challenge ourselves to bring a new dynamic to Wally Wine Fest,” explains Justin Genzlinger, CEO/Owner, Settlers Hospitality. “It’s the caliber of wine and variety of experiences that make this the premier wine festival in the Pocono Mountains. The adjustments we’ve made for social distancing really enhance the enjoyment of the tastings and it’s accompanied by truly wonderful cuisine.”

Bottles of every wine featured will be available for sale. Prices range from $10-$100. Fine food, gift items and decor fit for wine lovers overflow at The Marketplace. Visitors may shop offerings from places such as Art on the Edge, which features home/wine décor. The Silent Auction benefits Lake Wallenpaupack’s fireworks display and features overnight stays at some of the area’s finest accommodations plus gift cards to local restaurants and businesses. Golf and spa packages, as well as boat and paddle board rentals, are also up for grabs. Live entertainment rounds out the weekend-long festivities. 

Everyone who attends the festival at Silver Birches receives a commemorative wine glass. General admission is $50 per person. Designated drivers may attend for $25. A $195 platinum ticket includes the Taste of Thailand Dinner at The Settlers Inn on April 9. For $125, visitors may attend the Taste of Thailand Dinner only. Visit wallywinefest.com to purchase tickets. Special thanks to Champagne Level event sponsors Silver Birches Resort, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, E. & J. Gallo Winery and Bold Gold Media Group, as well as Cabernet Level sponsors, AM Skier Insurance and BMW. Organizers also acknowledge the participation of Sauvignon Blanc Level sponsor Adams Outdoor, Lewith and Freeman Real Estate and Guaranteed Rate. Rose Level sponsors include Honesdale National Bank, The Dime Bank, Wayne Bank, Chant Realtors, Lighthouse Harbor Marina, Lake Region IGA and Dakan Construction. Settlers Hospitality would also like to thank local sponsors Clemleddy Construction and Moka Origins.

Marywood University’s School of Social Work to Hold Its Spring 2021 Colloquium Virtually

Marywood University’s School of Social Work will hold its Spring 2021 virtual Colloquium titled, “The Culturally ‘Woke’ Social Worker: Addressing Historical and Contemporary Racial Inequities,” on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, from 8:45 a.m. – Noon. This virtual event is free and open to the public. Because space is limited, participants must register in order to attend, at marywood-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcqd-CorzgrEtX0PgW0iXzoAx0XjDKK8B4y.

This educational gift to the community will help us stay connected and enable us to work together to make a difference. It is a social worker’s role to address racial justice in proactive practice—to become ‘woke’ to cultural differences and systems of racial oppression. As we all continue to struggle with the uncertainty of a global pandemic, people have taken to the streets and boardrooms to address inequities and their devastating effects. For Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, stories about the impact on health, wealth, and relationships of intergenerational traumatic events in the form of news or social media posts are more than stories—they are examples of experiences enduring trauma, historically and currently, which have led to health and other social disparities.

Marywood University’s School of Social Work’s Spring 2021 Colloquium will bravely engage in conversations about work that helps to foster authentic engagement with social work staff, community providers, clients and their families. Participants will learn which facilitation tools to use when faced with a hot button issue, or other challenging situations, and how to bravely lead conversations about race with presence, grace, and intention.

By attending this workshop, participants will be able to define intergenerational trauma and complex trauma; explain three trauma-informed, resilience-oriented strategies to address the impact on individuals and communities; explore culture, unconscious bias, micro aggressions, racism, privilege, marginalization, color blindness, and intersectionality; determine ways that cultural differences impact professional relationships; and obtain a culturally relevant skill set with at least two tools to work towards micro and macro level change.

Presented by Lia Richards-Palmiter, Ph.D., director of the Office of Diversity Efforts at Marywood University, this session will provide a culturally competent understanding of trauma-informed, resilience-oriented strategies that inequities have had on those we support. This session will also address the impact at the individual and community level to build a future that promotes healing and resilience.

This program is approved for three (3) continuing education hours for social workers applicable toward New York and Pennsylvania LSW licensure renewal. To register, please visit marywood-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcqd-CorzgrEtX0PgW0iXzoAx0XjDKK8B4y. For additional questions, please contact Jill Schroth, director of Professional Continuing Education at Marywood University, at jschroth@marywood.edu, or call (570) 340-6061.

Scranton Counseling Center Executive Announces Retirement Plans

For over two decades as President and CEO, Edward F. Heffron, Ed.D. has overseen the operations of the Scranton Counseling Center, the largest, fully integrated, comprehensive behavioral healthcare center in northeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Heffron has announced his retirement from Scranton Counseling Center effective March 31st this year.

In addition to managing Scranton Counseling Center since 1999, Dr. Heffron has also managed a specialized 54-bed personal care home and a large, freestanding outpatient psychiatric private practice, both under the umbrella of the Counseling Center. Those responsibilities encompass a workforce of over 250 employees and generate almost $18 million in annual revenue.

The Center is completing a $15 million state-of-the-art adaptive reuse and renovation of a historically significant 3-building complex in South Scranton that will become the new Scranton Counseling Center campus for behavioral health services in late March. The new headquarters will allow all the Center’s programs and services to be fully integrated into the new facility with sufficient space for future growth. The campus will provide easy access on a bus route, on-site parking for employees, consumers and their families, off-street passenger drop-off and pickup, and a new facility thoughtfully and specifically designed to best meet the needs of both consumers and staff.

“The new headquarters for Scranton Counseling Center has been a 5-year project of love,” Dr. Heffron explained. “Once we get the new campus open and start providing services, we will combine behavioral health, physical health and a pharmacy at one convenient location for our clients. Our staff will have the latest and most modern workplace, and our consumers will benefit from the bright, modern layout and uplifting environment.”

Dr. Heffron added, “This headquarters project has been an additional focus of our board and management team for quite some time. Completing it is the capstone event of my career.”

In addition to those significant achievements during Dr. Heffron’s 21-year leadership of Scranton Counseling Center, he has also

  • Formed The Assertive Community Treatment Team operational 24/7 serving individuals with serious and persistent metal illness who are high users of mental health services
  • Established a licensed Substance Use Disorder Program serving adolescents and adults
  • Launched an Intercept Model/Early Diversion Program to divert non-serious criminal offenders with mental health and/or substance use disorder issues to treatment, rather than incarceration
  • Established state certified, Peer and Recovery Specialist Services to engage individuals in recovery from mental illness in the community, and assist consumers experiencing substance use disorder issues 24/7 through the Geisinger CMC ER
  • Expanded 24-hour crisis emergency services to Susquehanna County and northern Lackawanna County
  • Initiated innovative school-based and community behavioral health services to 21 school buildings in five school districts
  • Became the first regional behavioral health provider to integrate physical health with behavioral health services
  • Implemented the only Decision Support Center in Lackawanna County to enable individuals to attain a greater role in their treatment and medication regime in collaboration with their therapist and medication prescriber

An Executive Search Committee will commence a review of internal candidates and external applicants for the President/CEO position. During the transition, Sal Santoli, MS, a long-term manager with over four decades of service with the Center, will oversee the SCC’s operations as Interim CEO as of April 1st. He will coordinate the efforts of the current Center management team of Wendy Reed, LCSW, COO, and Jeff Novak, MBA, the CFO.

Scranton Counseling Center is a community based, private nonprofit behavioral health provider serving children, adolescents, adults and families with mental health and substance use disorder issues in Lackawanna, Susquehanna and surrounding counties.

The Center is northeast Pennsylvania’s largest integrated provider with over seven decades of quality accessible services for those in need.

Swift Kennedy Volunteers Help Distribute Food

Employees of Swift Kennedy’s Scranton branch volunteered to assist with a food distribution program sponsored by the Scranton-based Keystone Mission at its Wilkes-Barre office on January 28.  Over 250 people received bags of food and clothing at this event.  The Swift Kennedy volunteers included William Fleming, Sr., Camille Holmes, and Jessica Smitchel.

Cooper’s Seafood House Raises Funds for Women’s Resource Center

Cooper’s Seafood House presented a check for $7,645 to the Women’s Resource Center. The monies were raised from a lobster bisque soup sale held by Cooper’s in memory of Jeanne Marie McGowan. Jeanne was a Scranton native with a tremendous amount of empathy for those in need, working as an advocate to give them a voice. All the proceeds will go towards supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence in our community.

Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week – Preparing tomorrow’s workforce!

For years we’ve supported a program that arms high school students with the tools to be our next great employees – Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW). PFEW brings together students and businesspeople for a powerful hands-on learning experience where students are immersed in the exciting world of modern business and free enterprise. The goal is to properly prepare our young people for the demands of the 21st century workforce.

At PFEW, students make the same decisions real executives make as they run a simulated manufacturing company. Each team is paired with a volunteer business mentor who imparts invaluable real-world perspective as they explore all facets of business operations and develop the skills that today’s employers seek. Teams are responsible for two judged presentations where they must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of all facets of business operations. The week is highlighted by Speakers delivering inspiring messages directed at the students’ personal and professional development. An ethics case study, other business-related activities and the college experience round out this exciting week. Since 1979, more than 46,000 young Pennsylvanians and countless PA companies have benefitted from this unique program.

There’s no more urgent work than preparing our young people for careers in our community, but why PFEW? In the words of 2019 PFEW graduate Brina Cartagenova: “This week at PFEW will resonate with me for years to come, for it is an eye-opening experience for Pennsylvania youth. Arriving as wide-eyed, eager children and leaving as empowered, confident leaders, PFEW students go through an academic cultivation like no other.” Brina describes PFEW perfectly – cultivating our next great generation of empowered, confident leaders. No other model educates students like PFEW, and that’s why we proudly support it.

Every student attends PFEW on a fully tax-deductible $625 sponsorship donated by a business, foundation, organization or individual, but real value of PFEW is immeasurable. I encourage you to provide these vital sponsorships for our local students and, if possible, volunteers for the sessions. FFEE is an approved Educational Improvement Organization through the PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, and all programs are eligible to receive EITC funding.

FFEE offers two additional programs that prepare students for success and provide incredible value to our young people and our business community. The Stock Market GameTM (SMG) teaches students in grades 4-12 about investing and financial literacy, and the Speaker Series helps students explore careers and fulfill state mandated Career, Education and Work (CEW) standards. All Foundation programs have one goal in mind – preparing our young people for successful careers in Pennsylvania. If you would like to learn more about PFEW or their other educational offerings, please visit the Foundation’s website, www.pfew.org, or contact Scott Lee, vice president of marketing & development for the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education at (814) 833-9576 ext. 8, or scott@pfew.org.