Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Department to host toy drive for The Wright Center for Patient and Community Engagement The Lackawanna County Sheriff’s deputies will ensure local children have a great holiday season by hosting a toy drive benefiting The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (TWCPCE). New, unwrapped toys and monetary donations will be accepted by deputies and TWCPCE staff during the Lackawanna Winter Market on Courthouse Square, 200 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, on Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6. Look for the sheriff’s department transport van near the main entrance to the Lackawanna County Courthouse on North Washington Avenue. Raffle basket chances will also be available. TWCPCE will distribute donated toys to local families and use all monetary donations to purchase toys. The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, the nonprofit subsidiary of The Wright Center for Community Health, works to improve health across Northeast Pennsylvania by addressing social drivers of health that can affect individuals and community well-being.
The Wright Center names new vice president, chief operating officer A longtime healthcare administration and operations executive with deep ties to Northeast Pennsylvania will serve as The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education’s new vice president and chief operating officer. JR Vought will oversee all business operations within The Wright Center, working closely with clinical and administrative leadership. He will play a key role in developing and implementing enhanced clinical delivery models supporting innovative care redesign in the communities served by The Wright Center. He earned a Master of Health Administration degree from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and exercise science from the University of Pittsburgh. Before joining The Wright Center, Vought served as executive director of PAK Pediatrics of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties and is a former operations manager for Geisinger Health System and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center’s specialty clinics in Wilkes-Barre. A board-certified fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Vought has served on the steering committees for The Wright Center for Community Health’s Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support Program and the Luzerne County Breastfeeding Coalition, as well as the health advisory committee of Luzerne County’s Head Start. He’s the past president of the Healthcare Management Forum of Northeast Pennsylvania, former adjunct faculty member of the graduate program of healthcare administration at King’s College, a past member of the King’s College Healthcare Administration Advisory Board, and the Northeast Pennsylvania Healthcare Reform Task Force chaired by state Representative Eddie Day Pashinsky. In 2006, he received the American College of Healthcare Executives Reagents’ Leadership Award – Early Careerist. Vought lives in Larksville with his wife and family.
The Wright Center for Community Health clinics earn national recognition for delivering high-quality, patient centered care Four of The Wright Center for Community Health’s clinics received recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. The Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit, 1145 Northern Blvd.; The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn; The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton, 501 S. Washington Ave.; and The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave.; all earned NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home certificates of recognition in October. The Patient-Centered Medical Home model is designed to enable patients and their care teams to foster stronger relationships, help manage chronic conditions more effectively, and enhance the overall care experience. The model has been shown to increase patient satisfaction by offering open access to healthcare services and extended hours. It also increases staff satisfaction and reduces healthcare costs. For the public, NCQA accreditation signals that The Wright Center for Community Health maintains a focus on quality improvement and has key processes in place to help patients prioritize their health. The Mid Valley location first achieved this distinction in 2011, followed by Clarks Summit in 2014, and both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in 2021. All four health centers undergo an annual review to maintain compliance with NCQA’s rigorous standards. “Our continued recognition as a Patient-Centered Medical Home reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality, coordinated, patient-focused care that improves the health and welfare of our communities,” said Dr. Jignesh Sheth, senior vice president and chief medical and information officer at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “By combining a team-based approach with advanced technology, we are strengthening partnerships between patients and clinicians, improving care coordination, and responding more effectively to each patient’s unique needs.” Additionally, The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley earned NCQA’s Distinction in Behavioral Health Integration. This recognition demonstrates that recipients have the resources, evidence-based protocols, standardized tools, and quality measures to meet patients’ needs, according to the NCQA. The Washington, D.C.-based NCQA was founded in 1990 with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It seeks to improve healthcare quality through measurement, transparency, and accountability.
The Wright Center for Community Health, Commonwealth Health to fund mammograms with grant from local nonprofit The Wright Center for Community Health and Commonwealth Health will expand access to mammograms throughout the region with up to $50,000 in funding from Clarks Summit Goes Pink, a local nonprofit. Both The Wright Center and Commonwealth Health were presenting sponsors of Clarks Summit Goes Pink’s inaugural 5K Run, One-Mile Walk, and Community Block Party, on Aug. 15, in downtown Clarks Summit. The grant, which comes from proceeds raised through the community event, will be used to provide mammograms to individuals in Northeast Pennsylvania who lack the financial means to obtain them. “We are proud to partner with Clarks Summit Goes Pink and Commonwealth Health to help remove financial barriers to breast cancer screenings,” said Kara Seitzinger, the executive director of public affairs and advisor to the president and CEO at The Wright Center. “This grant will expand access to lifesaving early detection services for those in the communities we serve who might otherwise be unable to afford a mammogram.” Clarks Summit Goes Pink was founded by Colleen Shimko and her husband, Scott Shimko, following Colleen’s breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. The organization is dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness and supporting local people affected by the disease. On Oct. 16, the third anniversary of her diagnosis, the Shimkos attended The Wright Center’s annual Wonderful Women Breast Cancer Support Group program at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton to announce the grant. “As someone who knows how critical early detection is, I’m thrilled to announce that we are allocating up to $50,000 for mammograms to help people who otherwise could not afford them,” Colleen Shimko said. The Wright Center’s clinicians and community health workers will identify patients and others in the community who have a financial need. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises screening every two years from ages 40 to 74, while the American Cancer Society recommends annual screenings starting at age 45, with the option to start at 40, transitioning to every one to two years at age 55 for as long as a woman remains in good health. For more information, consult your doctor or call The Wright Center at 570-230-0019 to schedule an appointment.
The Wright Center for Community Health, Allied Services celebrate new primary care clinic with ribbon-cutting ceremony The Wright Center for Community Health and Allied Services celebrated the opening of a new primary care clinic inside Allied Services Rehabilitation Hospital at the Luger Scranton Rehab Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Oct. 23. The primary care office at 475 Morgan Highway opened Oct. 16, expanding access to affordable, high-quality, whole-person primary and preventive health services for adults throughout the region, including checkups, physicals, screenings, and treatment for common illnesses and injuries. Patients do not need to be Allied Services patients to receive care at the new location. The Wright Center has locations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties that provide care to individuals and family members of all ages, including a mobile medical and dental unit, Driving Better Health, that delivers care where individuals live, work, play, and study. To make an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-591-5285. “Everyone deserves convenient access to high-quality primary care,” said Dr. Erin McFadden, senior vice president and chief medical officer at The Wright Center for Community Health. “Our partnership with Allied Services allows us to meet people where they are and connect more individuals and families with the comprehensive care they need to live healthier lives.” The Wright Center’s new community health center builds on the ongoing partnership between The Wright Center and Allied Services, two organizations committed to strengthening access to comprehensive care and support services throughout the region. “We are excited to expand our partnership with The Wright Center,” said Robert Cole, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief analytics officer at Allied Services. “Our two organizations share the same values and commitment to our community, and The Wright Center bringing primary care services to our campus will be a tremendous benefit to the patients and families that we collectively serve.” Allied Services provides comprehensive rehabilitation and support services to more than 1,200 children and thousands of adults through outpatient clinics, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, long-term care centers, residential services, vocational programs, and hospice and palliative care across Northeast Pennsylvania.
The Wright Center, Tinnitus Support Group to host Nov. 6 meeting featuring local Audiologist The Tinnitus Support Group of Northeast Pennsylvania will meet Friday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. A virtual attendance option will be available for those who cannot attend in person. The support group welcomes individuals living with tinnitus, their family members and friends, and anyone interested in learning more about this complex audiological and neurological condition. Participants can connect with others who share similar experiences, exchange practical coping strategies, and find encouragement in a compassionate, confidential setting. At the November meeting, featured presenter MarieAnn Zumpone-Weibley, AuD, CCC-A, will discuss hearing aid assistance for those with tinnitus. Zumpone-Weibley is licensed in New York and Pennsylvania and is a certified audiologist in audiology and speech-language pathology with over 30 years of practice. Zumpone-Weibly earned her Bachelor of Arts in speech pathology and audiology from St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York, and her Master of Science in education of the deaf and hard of hearing from CUNY Hunter College in New York. She also earned her Master of Science in audiology from Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and her Doctorate of Audiology from Salus University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
The Wright Center’s director of education earns national graduate medical education certification Eileen Howells, director of medical education at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, recently earned certification as a training administrator of graduate medical education programs through the National Board for Certification Training Administrators of Graduate Medical Education. This professional credential validates the knowledge, skills, and expertise of Graduate Medical Education (GME) professionals, primarily residency and fellowship program coordinators and administrators. Having employees with this certification strengthens The Wright Center’s knowledge of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements, accreditation standards, and regulatory compliance. It also demonstrates The Wright Center’s investment in its GME professionals, promotes consistency across programs, and supports its ongoing efforts to maintain accreditation and provide high-quality residency and fellowship training. Howells, who joined The Wright Center in 2015, serves as administrator for ACGME-accredited residency programs in internal medicine, family medicine, and physical medicine & rehabilitation; the internal medicine-geriatrics integrated residency and fellowship pathway; and fellowship programs in cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology, and geriatrics. “Eileen’s certification reflects her commitment to professional excellence and the specialized knowledge required to support our graduate medical education programs,” said Dr. Jumee Barooah, senior vice president of education and designated institutional official at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “Her expertise helps ensure our programs meet rigorous accreditation standards and provide residents and fellows with a high-quality educational experience.”
The Wright Center earns three American Heart Association achievement awards For the second year in a row, The Wright Center for Community Health has earned three American Heart Association (AHA) achievement awards recognizing its commitment to helping patients manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes, key risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Nearly half of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. High blood pressure, cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of serious complications, but early diagnosis, evidence-based treatment, and patient education can help people manage these conditions and improve their long-term health. “We are honored to receive recognition from the American Heart Association for our commitment to the management and care of patients with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Erin McFadden, chief medical officer at The Wright Center for Community Health. “With early diagnosis and evidence-based treatment, these serious conditions can be effectively managed, helping patients improve their health, reduce the risk of complications, and enjoy longer, healthier lives.” This year, The Wright Center again earned: Target: BP Gold+ – The highest level of recognition in the Target: BP program, honoring organizations that follow evidence-based practices for blood pressure measurement and treatment and achieve blood pressure control in at least 70% of their adult patients with hypertension. Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol Gold Achievement Award – Recognizes healthcare organizations that implement evidence-based practices to help patients understand, monitor, and manage their cholesterol levels. Target: Type 2 Diabetes Gold Achievement Award – Recognizes healthcare organizations that meet established thresholds for selected clinical measures related to diabetes management and cardiovascular disease risk factors, including hypertension and high cholesterol. “Heart disease and stroke remain the leading causes of death for Americans, and addressing Type 2 diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure management is key for better cardiovascular health,” said Dr. Kevin Hwang, volunteer chair of the AHA’s Outpatient Quality Improvement Advisory Group. “The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize The Wright Center for its commitment to managing patient risk factors related to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes.” The Wright Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. Founded in 1976, The Wright Centers for Community Health, Graduate Medical Education, and Patient & Community Engagement are a physician-led, community-owned nonprofit and a cornerstone of healthcare in the region. The enterprise employs nearly 680 professionals – including nearly 200 resident and fellow physicians – and trains more than 200 interprofessional healthcare learners each year. In fiscal year 2025-26, The Wright Center served more than 39,000 unique patients across all care settings in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. As a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center and safety-net provider, The Wright Center serves all patients, from pediatrics to geriatrics. Learn more at TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
The Wright Center receives grant to help patients in need with transportation, hygiene supplies, and household items. Getting to doctors’ appointments will be a little easier for some patients in need, thanks to The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and a grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation. The $18,750 grant will be used to buy bus passes, transportation vouchers, and gas cards for patients enrolled in The Wright Center for Community Health’s Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support (Healthy MOMS) Program and patients being helped by The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s new street medicine program to get to and from appointments at The Wright Center for Community Health’s network of community health centers and at community partners across the region. The grant will also help The Wright Center provide hygiene supplies and essential household items to patients receiving care at its Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic. Healthy MOMS focuses on helping mothers-to-be and mothers with substance use disorder, bringing together healthcare, legal, housing, and social services organizations from more than seven counties in Northeast Pennsylvania. Participants can join before giving birth and remain in the program until the child turns 2. An assigned case manager helps with a range of support services, including medications for opioid use disorder, counseling, primary and OB-GYN care, parenting tips, legal advice, and more. Since its launch in August 2018, the program has helped more than 654 mothers and welcomed 355 babies. The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s new street medicine team, composed of medical assistants, community health workers, addiction recovery specialists, resident physicians, and more, visits the Community Intervention Center in Scranton twice a week. Since it launched in January, the team has completed more than 547 medical exams aboard the 34-foot mobile medical and dental unit known as Driving Better Health. Often, care provided by The Wright Center’s street medicine team leads to referrals for follow-up care, either at The Wright Center’s community health center in Scranton or with other providers who can assist them. “Transportation assistance is essential to help patients access critical services and reduce barriers to care,” said Dr. Douglas Klamp, who leads the street medicine team and serves as The Wright Center’s senior vice president, chief medical education officer, and physician chair of resident and fellow talent acquisition. “By improving transportation access, patients will be better able to attend appointments, adhere to treatment, and remain engaged in care, especially if they are experiencing financial difficulties, housing insecurity, or other challenges.”
President/CEO at The Wright Center receives inaugural national award for graduate medical education leadership Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, received the inaugural 2026 Program Leader of the Year Award from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research’s ShepsGME (Graduate Medical Education) Technical Assistance Center, which runs two federal technical assistance centers supporting the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Residency Planning and Development and Teaching Health Center programs. Dr. Thomas-Hemak accepted the award during the 2026 Rural and Health Center National GME Conference, held Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2026, at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland. The award recognizes an exemplary leader in graduate medical education who demonstrates exceptional leadership, advances innovation and continuous improvement, and shows an unwavering commitment to developing the physician workforce and expanding training opportunities. Dr. Thomas-Hemak is a quintuple board-certified primary care physician in internal medicine, pediatrics, addiction medicine, obesity medicine, and nutrition. Alongside her executive leadership, she continues to care for generations of patients and families at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley in Jermyn, which is her hometown and the Birthplace of First Aid in America. A proud graduate of Scranton Preparatory School and the University of Scranton, Dr. Thomas-Hemak went on to earn her medical degree as a Michael DeBakey Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, followed by completing Harvard’s Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program in Boston. Guided by a profound sense of service to her community roots, she returned to Northeast Pennsylvania to practice primary care. She joined The Wright Center in 2001, became its president in 2007, and assumed the role of CEO in 2012. Dr. Thomas-Hemak has transformed The Wright Center’s approach to graduate medical education while advancing community-based physician training nationally. Under her leadership, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has grown from the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, a single Internal Medicine residency established by Dr. Robert Wright and others in 1976 through a $1 million federal Bureau of Health Manpower grant, into an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited Sponsoring Institution with seven residency and fellowship programs and a foundational partner in one of the nation’s largest Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortiums. Today, The Wright Center trains nearly 200 resident and fellow physicians annually, along with more than 200 interprofessional learners, who help deliver comprehensive, affordable, compassionate, whole-person primary and preventive health services to more than 39,000 patients annually across The Wright Center for Community Health’s 15 Teaching Health Centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties and through its mobile medical and dental unit, Driving Better Health. Under Dr. Thomas-Hemak’s leadership, The Wright Center for Community Health earned full Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) designation in August 2026, which unlocks significant federal resources for the region and vastly improves access to high-quality, whole-person primary and preventive health services for patients and families. Central to Dr. Thomas-Hemak’s work has been the development of The Wright Center’s Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium, a proven, scalable, and replicable community-owned and community-governed model that integrates physician and interprofessional healthcare workforce development with the delivery of healthcare services in underserved communities. The model is built on the principle that communities should be empowered to develop and sustain the healthcare workforce they need while strengthening the systems of care in which those professionals train and ultimately serve. “Dr. Thomas-Hemak has spent her career challenging us to think differently about what graduate medical education can and should accomplish,” said Scott E. Schermerhorn, Esq., chair of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Board of Directors. “Her legacy is not simply measured by the programs she has built or the physicians she has trained. It is measured by the capacity she has created in communities to build, sustain, and steward their own healthcare workforce. She has demonstrated that graduate medical education can be more than a system for training physicians. It can be an instrument for strengthening communities, expanding access to care, and changing the trajectory of health for generations.” One of the clearest examples of that approach was The Wright Center’s National Family Medicine Residency, a pioneering multistate residency program launched in 2013 in collaboration with A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona and Federally Qualified Health Centers: El Rio Health in Arizona, HealthPoint in Washington State, HealthSource of Ohio, and Unity Health Care in Washington, D.C. The program connected geographically dispersed community health centers through shared educational standards, resources, and a commitment to training family physicians in underserved communities. The National Family Medicine Residency concluded in June 2026 after producing 167 family physicians, 74% of whom practice in medically underserved communities, and expanding primary care access for more than 392,000 patients nationwide. Its legacy continues through FQHC partners that have developed or are developing their own graduate medical education capacity, demonstrating the scalability and sustainability of community-based physician training. HealthPoint and El Rio Health became independent ACGME-accredited Sponsoring Institutions with their own Family Medicine Residency Programs; HealthSource achieved accreditation for a new Family Medicine Residency under The Wright Center’s Sponsoring Institution; and Unity Health Care continues developing similar capacity. Dr. Thomas-Hemak has also helped advance the Teaching Health Center movement nationally through her leadership, advocacy, federal service, scholarly work, and presentations focused on physician workforce development and the social mission of graduate medical education. She is a founding board member of the American Association of Teaching Health Centers, which represents community-based teaching health centers that train primary care physicians, and serves as governor for the Eastern Region of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians (PA-ACP), the nation’s largest medical-specialty organization. In March 2026, she was appointed to serve a two-year term on the 18-member Healthcare Advisory Committee, convened by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to help guide national health policy and program innovation to strengthen care delivery and financing, improve quality, reduce administrative burden, and focus healthcare on patients. She was also appointed in 2026 to serve on the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) Board of Directors. She serves on numerous local, regional, and national healthcare and medical education nonprofit governing boards, cross-sector committees, and workgroups, including the federally funded Partnership for Quality Measurement’s Endorsement & Maintenance Committee Advisory Group on Cost and Efficiency, which brings together healthcare experts to evaluate and endorse performance measures. She is a founding member of the consortium that established the Scranton-based Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, the immediate past chair and executive committee member of the Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (NEPA AHEC), co-chair of the Community Health Hub, and an advisory board member of The Institute. She and her husband, Mark, have three children, Mason, Maya, and Antoinette. She is the daughter of the late William and Johanna Cavalieri Thomas. For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
