Penn State Scranton Business Club Explores Benco Dental

Penn State Scranton believes integrating real-world experiences outside the classroom is crucial for students’ success and development.

Acknowledging this, Penn State Scranton’s Business Club recently embarked on a tour of Benco Dental in Pittston, Pennsylvania. Guided by Lecturer of Business Kevin Feifer the excursion offered invaluable insights into the inner workings of one of the nation’s leading dental distributors.

“Company tours provide practical, real-world experiences that complement classroom learning,” said Feifer. “They showcase industry procedures, offer networking opportunities with professionals, and inspire students to explore potential career paths.”

During the tour, Danielle Dominick, culture and people senior talent coordinator at Benco Dental, led the students through an engaging exploration of the company’s corporate facility. Students gained firsthand exposure to supply chain management functions and learned about the importance of marketing, from sales strategies to customer service.

“The tour of Benco Dental provided our students with a unique opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in a real-world context,” said Feifer. “It’s crucial for students to understand how concepts learned in the classroom translate to practical applications within the industry.”

The tour concluded with an informative session dedicated to internship and full-time job opportunities available at Benco Dental. Students left with a deeper understanding of potential career paths and the skills required to succeed in the dental distribution sector.

“These experiences are vital in preparing students for success in their future endeavors,” Feifer said. “Some of our students aspire to start their own businesses after completing their degrees, and the entrepreneurial spirit of Benco Dental has inspired them to pursue their dreams.”

Business club members Francesca Villano and Jermin Gilbert shared their key takeaways from the tour, emphasizing the company’s rich history, operational insights, advanced technology, and significant role within the dental industry.

“The tour provided valuable insights into Benco Dental’s supply chain system, including how they source products, manage inventory, and distribute goods. Getting a glimpse of how these things actually work in a real business setting was really fascinating! I would definitely recommend touring Benco Dental for anyone interested in supply chain management,” Villano said.

Gilbert also expressed his exceptional impression of the tour, highlighting Benco Dental’s wide range of supplies, equipment, and services.

“This trip enhanced my understanding of concepts learned in the classroom. The tour guide highlighted the departments that make up the heart of Benco Dental,” Gilbert said. “Being a financial service student, this tour provided insight into the inner workings of a company of that magnitude. Benco Dental offers jobs for various departments such as financial department, marketing, management, accounting and so much more. “

Feifer and Penn State Scranton’s business club extends its gratitude to Benco Dental and Danielle Dominick for providing this enriching opportunity for students to expand their knowledge and explore potential career paths. Such initiatives play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of business leaders and innovators.

Treasurer Stacy Garrity Celebrates 529 Day with Awards for Families

Treasurer Stacy Garrity celebrated 529 Day – May 29, or 5/29 – by encouraging families across Pennsylvania to save with the PA 529 College and Career Savings Program for a chance to win awards, including three top awards of $5,529 – enough to pay for a year’s tuition at a Pennsylvania community college.

May 29, 2024, has also been designated as College and Career Savings Day in Pennsylvania by the General Assembly, with resolutions sponsored by Senator Scott Martin (R-13) and Representative John Schlegel (R-101).

“I’m excited to celebrate 529 Day and very pleased that the General Assembly is supporting our efforts by proclaiming this as College and Career Savings Day,” Treasurer Garrity said. “Saving for education is an important step families can take to help make their child’s dreams come true, no matter what career path they take. Treasury is offering some fantastic promotional awards to encourage more families to take advantage of our PA 529 Guaranteed Savings Plan, which is a great savings tool. Saving now, means less to borrow when a child embarks on their technical career training, apprenticeship or college degree.”

“We all share a common interest in supporting strong postsecondary educational opportunities and career preparation programs to help young people chart a course toward a brighter future here in Pennsylvania,” said Senator Martin. “I am proud to partner with Treasurer Garrity to make more Pennsylvanians aware of the benefits of PA 529 accounts and the key role they play in helping students achieve their dreams.”

“The PA 529 College and Career Savings Program has helped many Pennsylvanian families save money for their child’s postsecondary education for more than three decades,” said Rep. Schlegel. “I encourage all families to consider this savings option.”

Treasury’s 529 Day promotion has been running since May 1, and families have until May 31 to save to be eligible for awards with the PA 529 GSP. The PA 529 GSP allows families to save at today’s tuition rates to meet tomorrow’s tuition costs. Families can choose the tuition level they wish to save at – from community colleges up to Ivy League universities.

Families who open a new PA 529 GSP and contribute at least $10 until May 31, will be eligible to win one of two statewide awards of $5,529, or one of six regional awards of $2,529. Last year, more than 1,000 families started saving during our 529 Day promotion.

New for this year, families who had a PA 529 GSP account prior to May are eligible to win one statewide award of $5,529 if they make an additional contribution of at least $10 to their child’s account before the end of the month.

The PA 529 program has been helping families save and pay for education for more than 30 years. Saving with PA 529 accounts comes with significant state and federal tax advantages. PA 529 accounts can be used for a wide variety of qualifying technical, collegiate, and apprenticeship expenses like tuition, fees, books, equipment, room and board, and more. Saving with PA 529 does not impact a student’s eligibility for Pennsylvania state financial aid.

Families with young children, born January 1, 2019, or later, already have a $100 Keystone Scholars account to jumpstart their education savings. This automatic deposit is available to every baby born in Pennsylvania, and the program uses no taxpayer dollars. Families are encouraged to claim their Keystone Scholars accounts online at pa529.com/keystone and open their own companion PA 529 account to continue saving for their child’s future.

The Wright Center Launches New ‘Care Team’ Approach

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education have launched an innovative program to enhance patient care while nurturing the skills of tomorrow’s physician workforce.

Medical residents at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education are now members of “care teams” that provide whole-person primary health services to people of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses. The novel initiative elevates the standard of care provided at The Wright Center’s nine community health center locations in Northeast Pennsylvania while providing a platform for residents to refine their skills as compassionate healers. 

By seamlessly integrating hands-on experience with comprehensive training, the program embodies The Wright Center’s mission to improve the health and welfare of communities through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve.

“Patients get two sets of eyes – the resident and the doctor,” said Dr. Timothy Burke, a primary care physician at The Wright Center for Community Health – Mid Valley in Jermyn, Pennsylvania, and the associate program director of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine Residency. “Seeing the same resident and the same doctor each time means the patient doesn’t have to repeat their medical history over and over. Both know who you are, the care you’re receiving, and the obstacles you face.”

Patients will benefit from building personal relationships with The Wright Center’s resident physicians, according to Dr. Erin McFadden, a primary care doctor who also serves as deputy chief medical officer and medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health’s locations in Scranton, North Scranton, and the Scranton Counseling Center.

“That’s the beauty of primary care. It’s not just learning the medicine, it’s learning how to develop the relationship with the patient,” Dr. McFadden said. “It’s important to build that patient-doctor trust so you can see how their health is changing and, hopefully, improving.” 

Dr. McFadden, for example, said a resident physician will prescribe a patient with diabetes a particular drug to help with blood sugar levels. Now, as part of the patient’s care team, they can monitor how effective that medication is – and what side effects the patient may or may not experience – at subsequent appointments. 

“We’re giving an opportunity to our patients and our resident physicians to build a relationship,” she said. “If you want to take care of a disease and improve health, you need multiple pictures over time to watch cause and effect.” 

The care team concept is not new at The Wright Center for Community Health, which typically integrates medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services, at a single location for the convenience of patients. To ensure residents could become more involved in patient care teams, The Wright Center collaborated with its Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendor to redesign the scheduling of patient appointments to honor patient continuity. 

The program also means changing the way resident physicians are scheduled for rotations, which are completed at The Wright Center’s community health centers, local hospitals, and other medical settings in the region. Typically, resident physicians cycle through a number of assignments, each lasting a few weeks to a month. Now, the residents who are part of the new care teams are assigned to their doctor’s clinic location once a week.

“That came from a buy-in across the medical residency program leaders that continuity was important and a priority, so no other rotations were going to supersede their regularly scheduled continuity clinics,” said Tiffany Jaskulski, vice president of health innovation and strategic initiatives at The Wright Center.

First-year Internal Medicine resident Dr. Ketaki Pande sees patients at The Wright Center for Community Health – North Scranton on Fridays with Dr. McFadden. She’s enjoyed getting to know patients on a deeper level and says the team approach is helping her become a more effective physician.

“One of the big parts of primary care is managing chronic conditions,” Dr. Pande said. “For example, not everyone responds to a particular medication the same way. So, I prescribe something, and now I can follow up weeks and months later, to see how it’s working and if something else is needed.” 

Wayne Bank Welcomes New Vice President and Manager

Jim Donnelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wayne Bank, is pleased to introduce Deborah Kennedy as Vice President and PA Retail Banking Market Manager.

According to Mr. Donnelly, “We are incredibly excited to welcome Deb to our team.  She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the banking industry which will be invaluable as we continue to expand our footprint and enhance our services.  I am confident that Deborah’s leadership and vision will play a crucial role in driving our growth and providing exceptional customer service.”

In this role, Mrs. Kennedy will direct and drive the Bank’s profitability, development, and growth in the PA Market.  She will manage and coordinate the delivery and support of all bank services, including loans and other banking products.  Mrs. Kennedy has over twenty years of banking experience and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Kings College and a Master’s in Business Administration from Capella University.  She is very passionate about giving back to her community and is a Board Member of the Rotary Club of Scranton and the Abington Heights Civic League, as well as a Co-Chair of the Scranton Diocese Catholic Women’s Conference.  Mrs. Kennedy resides in South Abington Township with her husband, John. They have three children and five grandchildren.

Outreach Center Receives Robert H. Spitz Foundation Grant

Outreach’s programs and services awarded $15,000 for The Robert H. Spitz Foundation grant to support Outreach’s programs and services to the regional community. Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers a variety of programs to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,900 adults and children each year, and evidence-based family development programs support individuals as they navigate life’s challenges.

For over 35 years, Outreach has made helping families thrive our highest priority. Outreach builds strong families and communities by offering resources for employment training, parenting, early childhood education, youth mentoring, community reentry, adult GED services, wrap-around case management, and more. Outreach is very grateful to the Robert H. Spitz Foundation for its continued support. This funding has helped Outreach advance its mission of assisting families in our region.

The Robert H. Spitz Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations, providing support for programs that aim to break the cycle of poverty, remove economic barriers, and encourage independence in adults and children through access to safe, affordable housing, transportation, and education to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Robert H. Spitz was born in Scranton and was a 1955 graduate of Scranton Central High School and the University of Miami, Florida. Before retirement, Mr. Spitz had been employed by the U.S. Department of Labor and owned several local Arby’s restaurants. Since 2015, the Robert H. Spitz Foundation has provided over $4.6 million in funding to the community. The Scranton Area Community Foundation serves as the administrator of the Robert H. Spitz Foundation.