Geisinger elected for American Society for Clinical Pathology’s Choosing Wisely Champions Geisinger Adult Gastroenterology and Laboratory Medicine were elected by The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) as one of their 2022 Choosing Wisely® Champions for advancing appropriate test utilization at the health system and demonstrating leadership of a local Choosing Wisely® effort. ASCP’s Choosing Wisely® Champions program is part of ASCP’s broader Choosing Wisely® campaign, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, which seeks to advance a national dialogue on avoiding unnecessary medical tests, treatments, and procedures. The program recognizes the efforts of dedicated pathologists and laboratory professionals for making informed decisions about laboratory testing. Recommendations improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs, and the Choosing Wisely® Champions encourage their colleagues to use the right test at the right time for the right cost. “This award recognizes the work that our Geisinger adult gastroenterology and laboratory medicine teams do each and every day to stand out as a leader in the field,” said Amanda Haynes, DO, FASCP, Division Chief of Clinical Pathology Professional Services, Quality, and Operations, Laboratory Medicine at Geisinger. “This honor would not have been achieved without the dedication of all our team members. We strive to be innovative and effective in everything that we do, making better health easier for our patients.” Geisinger Adult Gastroenterology and Laboratory Medicine launched a successful Choosing Wisely® campaign across the Geisinger system to address inappropriate use of fecal occult blood testing (FOBT). Using education and electronic tools, provider decision-making was guided toward ordering FOBT for its intended use of colorectal cancer screening in ambulatory patients. “Identifying Champions and sharing their successes allows all of us to learn from their efforts to improve healthcare delivery,” said Lee H. Hilborne, MD, MPH, DLM(ASCP)CM, FASCP, chair of the ASCP Effective Test Utilization Steering Committee. “The Geisinger team is an exemplar of Choosing Wisely® values and the application of this effective test utilization initiative.”
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Lavelle Strategy Group NYC Art Exhibit La MaMa Galleria is honored to present “Humanity & Divinity”, an art exhibition by Helen Lavelle. This show will be on view in the East Village Gallery at 47 Great Jones Street New York, NY (between Bowery and Lafayette Streets) from January 14 to February 4, 2023, Thursday through Sunday from 1-7 PM, with an opening reception scheduled on Saturday, January 14, from 5:30-8:30 PM.A nationally recognized leader in the advertising industry, Ms. Lavelle’s drawings and paintings explore the artist’s personal journey through pain and vulnerability to resilience and grace. The exhibit is curated by C. Finley, founder of the Every Woman Biennial-NYC, London, LA.Acknowledging that loss of life, the pandemic, political climate, racial hatred, war and economic uncertainty have given rise to unprecedented and unbearable pain, Ms. Lavelle’s work puts it center stage. But she does not stop there.The exhibit, which includes both figurative and landscape pieces is designed to remind viewers that the path from humanity to divinity lies in a personal connection to nature. “Nature is our greatest teacher, Lavelle states. Life and death, love and loss, pain and promise…the opportunity to transform in the face of tragedy, to recover (as does nature) is cellular.” For Lavelle, painting is a spiritual process. Landscapes created in Ireland while experiencing extreme grief and sorrow express both heaviness and connection to universal energy.As to her figurative work, Lavelle explains, “Connecting on a deeper level with nature and God allowed me to portray moments of human vulnerability that are real, raw and honest. I can barely look at them myself.”Lavelle has had more than her fair share of grief, having lost multiple friends and members of her own family to addiction, to AIDs, and to the inability for many to move forward in life. She knows that art heals, brings forth light, even in the deepest darkness. An advocate for the arts in every genre, she understands that the arts help move people through life’s circumstances. Her hope is that through this exhibition, people will see something in themselves that is about transformation.
Lackawanna College Receives Award Awarded From the City of Scranton Lackawanna College was recently rewarded $15,000 from the city of Scranton as part of the American Rescue Plan Act funding. The funding from the American Rescue Plan Act will be used to support the Lackawanna College Counseling Program facilitated by Lackawanna’s Student Wellness Office, helping cover the cost of mental health counseling sessions for current students. The project director for the counseling program, Student Wellness Program Director Tierny Ulmer Cresswell, is excited about the program and the care it can provide, especially with the increased need for mental health services post COVID-19 pandemic. “We are grateful for the opportunity to expand mental health services here on our campus for our students. Mental health services are imperative to getting our students to graduation,” Cresswell said. “Similar with what other institutions are seeing post COVID-19, the intensity of student challenges are becoming greater – adding this level of care is necessary for students success .” The counseling program started the 2022 fall semester and is free for any current student to take advantage of both in person, with an on-campus therapist located in Angeli Hall, and online through telehealth. Students in the Sunbury, Lake Region, Hazleton, Tunkhannock and Towanda Centers can use this service virtually as well. “Student response has been wonderful, we surpassed the expected number of students within the first two months – that showed us quickly how much it was needed,” Cresswell said. “We are grateful to be able to provide quality mental health services to students at all Lackawanna College campuses for free. These funds will assist us to remove barriers students often face when trying to access mental health services.” Lackawanna College will use the funding from the American Rescue Plan Act on July 1, 2023.
HNB Joe Tini Earns National Certification Joe Tini, Marketing & Communications Specialist at The Honesdale National Bank, was recently awarded the Certified Financial Marketing Professional (CFMP) certification from the American Bankers Association. “Earning the CFMP certification validates Joe Tini’s experience and depth of education in the bank marketing arena,” said bank President, and CEO, Thomas E. Sheridan Jr. The CFMP certification is awarded to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of financial services marketing. To qualify for the CFMP certification, individuals must have certain levels of experience and education in the financial services marketing profession, pass an exam and agree to abide by a code of ethics. The CFMP exam covers many areas including financial principles, laws and regulations, market research, characteristics of marketing plans, and marketing components. Financial services professionals, working through ABA, initiated the CFMP certification and seven others to establish meaningful standards of knowledge in specialty areas of the financial services industry. ABA Professional Certifications formally recognize those who meet these standards and meet professional continuing education and development requirements. Tini joined HNB in his current role in 2020. He is a graduate of Valley View High School and received his bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. He is an avid outdoorsman who spends most of his free time fishing, mountain biking, boating, skiing, exercising, and traveling.
FNCB Bank Toys for Tots Drive Yields Hundreds of Toys for Area Children FNCB Bank, locally based since 1910, is pleased to announce they recently held a bank-wide Toys for Tots drive that yielded hundreds of toys for children in Northeast Pennsylvania. The drive was conducted in all 16 community offices as well as FNCB’s Corporate Centers in Dunmore. Midge MacArthur, FNCB Bank Dunmore Community Office Manager, spearheaded the project. “The generosity of our customers and employees is truly incredible,” said MacArthur. “Every year we do this, the number of toys donated increases. It’s because of this generosity, that many kids in NEPA will have a brighter holiday season.” The support of Toys for Tots is part of FNCB’s larger Community Caring initiative. As a true, local community bank, FNCB Bank is making a difference through volunteerism, donations and outreach programs.
Geisinger Honors 237 Providers for High Patient Satisfaction Ratings Geisinger recently honored 237 caregivers for ranking in the top 10% nationally for patient experience at the health system’s annual Top Patient Experience Clinicians Awards on Thursday, Dec. 1, in Danville, Pa. Geisinger providers — including physicians, physician assistants and certified registered nurse practitioners — were ranked among the best in the country by their patients, according to Press Ganey’s 2022 medical practice survey results. This survey gives patients an opportunity to grade the service and care they received from a provider. “There’s no better indicator of being an exceptional provider than to hear it directly from your patients,” said J. Edward Hartle, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Geisinger. “Year after year, we have more Geisinger providers ranking in the top 10% nationally for patient experience, all while the standards keep getting tougher. We’re very proud to see our care providers continuing to excel in making better health easier for our patients.” Among the 237 clinicians honored, three were spotlighted for exemplary work, receiving Geisinger awards for going above and beyond when it comes to compassionate patient care. Kara Anne Levandoski, PA-C, in cardiology at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, received the Christina Appleman Award. The award is named in honor of Christina Appleman, certified registered nurse practitioner, and is given to the advanced practitioner at Geisinger with the highest overall score on the care provider section of the patient satisfaction survey. Greg Francis Burke, MD, Geisinger’s chief patient experience officer and internal medicine physician at Geisinger Medical Center, and Jason R. Woloski, MD, family medicine physician at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre, received the Victor J. Marks Award for best Outpatient Specialty Physician and Primary Care Physician, respectively. The award was established in 2002 to honor Victor Marks, MD, who served as Geisinger’s interim CEO from 2000 to 2001, and his commitment to making patients the primary focus of the health system. It’s given to the outpatient specialty physician and primary care physician at Geisinger who have the highest overall scores on the care provider section of the patient satisfaction survey. The 90th percentile Geisinger winners in the Northeast Region are: Amanda Maria Ketusky, PA-C Alyson E. Evans, LGC Alyssa Marie Callela, PA-C Atul Bali, MD Barry G. Bernstein, DPM Bianca Maria Cerminaro, PA-C Birju Bhatt, MD Bogdan Protyniak, MD Brianna Maglio, PA-C Bryan E. Martin, DO Cassandra Lynn Tunis, DO Charles David Peters Jr., MD Christian Stephen Adonizio, MD Christina Lynn Feldmann, PA-C Christopher Giddings Connolly, MD Collin Douglas Hair, MD Courtney Shingler, CRNP Daniel William Upton, MD David J. Kolessar, MD Debra A. Lehr, OD Dennis Michael Fisher, MD Eileen Marie Rattigan, MD Eric J. Kemmerer, MD Erin Alexandra Colarusso, PA-C Evan Lee McClennen, DO Falan Eileen Glynn, PA-C Fernando S. Carlos, MD Gehred D. Wetzel, DO George Ruiz, MD Halime Ibrahim El-Hajmoussa, MD Holly Maria Drutarovsky, PA-C Jacob Adam Baber, MD James A. Tricarico, DO Jan M. Golden, DPM Jason Raymond Woloski, MD Jennifer Lynn Riccardo, PA-C Jennifer Lynn Balinas, PA-C Jillian M. Roush, PA-C John Francis Danella, MD John Joseph Sobuto III, DO John Mark Prater, MD John Robert Ramey, MD Kaitlyn Elizabeth McDonough, PA-C Kara Anne Levandoski, PA-C Kathleen Quigley Whitney, PA-C Karina Geronilla Phang, MD Katrina Laura Kincel, PA-C Kelly Jo Dalton, OD Kenneth Louis Koury, MD Kimberly A. Kovalick, DO Kimberly Kaminsky, PA-C Lakshmi Neeharika Saladi, MD Laurie Campfield, DO Leopoldo Legaspi, MD Mary Catherine Brady, MD Mary Rachel Wolf, PA-C Matthew Gerard Mullen, MD Megan Ward Harris, PA-C Melissa Laporte, CRNP Michael Andrew Kovalick, DO Norma Michelle Boechat, PA-C Ogechukwu Ndum, MD Paul Anthony Arkless, MD Paul R. Long, MD Peter Joseph Cawley, MD Renae Ann Keiper, PA-C Sandeep Mehrok, MD Sandra L. Pensieri, DPM Shane Steven Young, MD Shreya Sinha, MD Stacy J. Conway, OD Stanley John Yanik, PA-C Steven Andrew Sluck, DO Theodore James Tomaszewski, MD Thomas I. Miller, PA-C Timothy Jude Farrell, MD Vernon H. Mascarenhas, MD
G.R Noto Electrical Construction Earns 2022 GASE Award G.R. Noto Electrical Construction, Inc., has the pleasure to announce it has earned the 2022 Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence (GASE). This award recognizes outstanding workplace safety. G.R Noto makes it a priority to protect workers and prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. G.R. Noto Electrical Construction, Inc., efforts help to make not only itself a safe work environment, but also Pennsylvania a much safer place in which to work. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Bureau of Workers Compensations stated they “were impressed with G.R. Noto Electrical Construction, Inc’s engineering innovations implemented since last winning the GASE award in 2016, most notably the Prefab shop and the Building Information Modeling System (BIM). G.R. Noto Electrical Construction, Inc. safety efforts have continued to result in incident rates well below industry averages.