The Wright Center Opens New Primary Care Clinic The Wright Center for Community Health recently made an important decision to expand its medical home into Covington Township, 260 Daleville Highway, part of the North Pocono School District. Our new primary care practice is the ninth in our network of clinics, providing family medicine services to children and family members of all ages. You can see us for sick visits, routine examinations and screenings, substance use disorder services and the treatment of any illnesses or injuries that do not require a trip to the emergency room. Our first day for office visits is Monday, April 25. Our clinics remain true to our mission of improving access and removing barriers to high-quality health care that cover the lifespan, from pediatric to geriatric care. Together, our providers serve under-resourced communities, such as rural areas and historically neglected city neighborhoods, and vulnerable populations, including individuals who are experiencing homelessness, who cope with substance use disorder and behavioral health issues or who otherwise confront barriers to proper care whether it be due to geography, linguistics or affordability. Our compassionate care teams help you improve your health for your body and mind. The Wright Center falls under the umbrella of a national Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike. That designation as a safety-net community health center enables us to address health disparities at an affordable price. We are one of more than 14,500 national community health center sites that care for almost 29 million people, including the more than 47,000 unique patients we treat annually. Our sliding-fee discount program ensures our primary care services are affordable for individuals and family members who qualify based on the size of their family and income-eligibility guidelines. We treat patients of all ages and insurance statuses, including those who use Medicaid, medical assistance and are underinsured or uninsured. As a matter of policy and mission, The Wright Center will not deny service to anyone because of an inability to pay. Amanda Turoni, a clinician at the new primary care site in Covington Township. We may be the newest health care provider in your community, but The Wright Center has almost 50 years of experience being a patient-centered community health center in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. Our model enables us to deliver affordable and comprehensive primary and preventive services that reduce health disparities by emphasizing care management of patients with multiple health care needs. Our Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care program, for example, offers a wide range of supportive services to improve the quality of life for individuals with dementia and their caregivers, which includes medication management, home safety tips and support groups. In 2016, we established the state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence in response to the nation’s opioid crisis. Board-certified addiction medicine physicians, certified recovery specialists and other medical professionals provide physical and behavioral health services to help those in recovery reshape their lives on an outpatient basis. One of our most successful initiatives is the Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support program, known simply as Healthy MOMS. More than 167 babies have been born to women enrolled in this two-generation model that aims to help women overcome addiction and embrace a life in recovery. The Ryan White HIV and Infectious Disease Clinic in Scranton has been serving our region for more than 20 years. It provides comprehensive services, including prevention, testing and treatment, for people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Specialized programs include our lifestyle medicine program that emphasizes subtle changes in the way our patients live their lives, addressing nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management and more to treat and potentially reverse chronic disease and prevent illness, such as diabetes and hypertension. To complement our services overall, we offer the Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, a subsidiary that engages in the delivery, enhancement and transformation of primary health care services for populations of special interest in the community. It focuses on local partnerships and programs that assess negative social and economic determinants of health, such as poor access to education, employment status, and food and housing insecurity that can affect a person’s health and welfare. We look forward to meeting you and caring for your family, as we work to become a vital member of your beautiful community. Please call us at 570-591-5150 if you have any questions. To make an appointment go to TheWrightCenter.org and click on the link in the top banner or use our smart bot, Neo, at the bottom right-hand side of the homepage.