Our Town Series on WVIA to Focus on Lewisburg The city of Lewisburg in Union County will be featured in WVIA’s “Our Town” series. “Our Town Lewisburg” will be a “day-in-the-life” one-hour video scrapbook focusing on the people, places, and happenings of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, as seen through the eyes of its residents. Lewisburg residents are invited to attend the first “Our Town Lewisburg” community/volunteer meeting, Thursday, February 10th at 6:30 p.m. at Community Partnerships at 328 Market Street, Lewisburg PA, 17837. Residents will discuss which landmarks, events, and local stories the program should tell about their town. WVIA will answer questions about the project during the meeting and ask volunteers to brainstorm a list of subjects and events to videotape. On Thursday, February 17th at 6:30 p.m. WVIA will hold a second community/volunteer meeting at Community Partnerships. During this meeting volunteers will participate in a whiteboard session to determine the stories to be told in the program and which stories each volunteer will videotape to create “Our Town Lewisburg.” WVIA hopes to recruit 20 to 25 area residents with personal camcorders. If needed, the snow date for the meeting will be on Thursday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m. Following safety protocol, attendees will be required to wear masks at each meeting. Anyone interested in being a videographer and/or storyteller for the program should contact VIA “Our Town” producer, Lisa Mazzarella, at 570-602-1164 or by e-mailing lisamazzarella@wvia.org. “Our Town Lewisburg” will debut in June 2022 on WVIA TV. For more information on the “Our Town” series, visit http://www.wvia.org/television/documentaries/our-town-series/. As the public television station serving northeastern and central Pennsylvania, the “Our Town” project was initiated in an effort to involve the communities and their residents with WVIA. The “Our Town” series is intended to treat viewers to the many personalities, perspectives, and possibilities that local towns have to offer.
Geisinger Completes First Phase of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Scranton Geisinger Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Scranton opens Monday, Feb. 7, in the Marketplace at Steamtown, making better health easier for patients and members in the area by consolidating and expanding services at one easy-to-reach downtown location. Patients of all ages will find the most comprehensive spectrum of services for bone, muscle and joint conditions — including arthritis, sports injuries, back pain, wound care and fractures — in Lackawanna County. With a focus on convenience and patient experience, the facility will offer expanded orthopaedic urgent care so patients can avoid the emergency room for sprains, strains and minor injuries. When complete, Geisinger Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Scranton will be Lackawanna County’s largest bone, muscle and joint-focused facility of its kind and occupy 83,000 square feet inside the marketplace — triple the space of the former location at West Olive Street. The project’s second phase, expected to be complete in late 2022, brings additional programs in physical medicine & rehabilitation, as well as patient-tailored therapy solutions. Market research shows the population of Lackawanna County residents 65 and older continues to grow, driving an increased demand for orthopaedic services through 2024. “Geisinger Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Scranton will provide all the world-class bone, muscle and joint outpatient services our community needs under one roof,” said Michael Suk, M.D., J.D., chair of Geisinger’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Our highly specialized team brings a personalized approach and the latest technology to treating each joint condition, sports injury or spinal disorder.” More patient-friendly features include abundant parking and access to several bus routes, along with proximity to Geisinger Community Medical Center. There, people can continue receiving surgical care with technologies only Geisinger provides in its service area, such as Mako® robotic-arm-assisted joint replacement. “We’re committed to contributing to a healthier, more vibrant Lackawanna County by providing the orthopaedic and sports medicine services our patients and members need close to home,” said Suk. “Geisinger has served northeastern Pennsylvania for decades, and our new facility at the Marketplace at Steamtown furthers our commitment to better health for this community.”
Samantha Maloney Joins Sweda Advertising as Social Media Director Samantha (Sam) Maloney began collaborating with Sweda Advertising in 2019 and started as its Social Media Director in 2022. As Social Media Director, Sam will develop compelling social media campaigns that include public relations and outreach strategies, advertising, and community partnerships. Established in 2004, Sweda Advertising is an award-winning full-service agency that provides professional services to some of the region’s most respected businesses, organizations, institutions, and elected officials. Sam Maloney hails from Utah, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Utah and enlisted in the United States Army. She continued her studies at Catholic University, Columbus School of Law in Washington DC, where she earned a JD and received a commission into the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. She was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Ft. Bragg where she regularly jumped out of planes. After receiving her honorable discharge, she moved to New York City and became an Assistant Prosecutor in the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, in Jersey City, NJ, prosecuting Special Victims Unit cases. In 2010, she moved to Scranton and became engaged in advocating for her community through various nonprofits and political campaigns, most notably Women’s Whistle Stop, Women in Philanthropy, the League of Women Voters, and Friends of Lackawanna. She resides in Scranton with her husband Tim and their four fun-loving children.
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Official Earns Certification Dr. Jumee Barooah, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s designated institutional official and a primary care physician, recently earned board certification in lifestyle medicine – an approach that uses small lifestyle changes to treat and potentially reverse chronic disease and prevent illness. One of the fastest growing fields of medicine, lifestyle medicine differs from mainstream medical approaches by emphasizing non-pharmaceutical, non-invasive treatments such as wellness, resiliency, movement and a nutritious diet. Patients are empowered to take their well-being into their own hands by making improvements through manageable changes in daily activities. The Wright Center introduced a lifestyle medicine service line in 2020 to address community needs in Northeast Pennsylvania, including the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. The Wright Center also wove lifestyle medicine into the curriculum of its graduate medical education programs, aiming to appropriately prepare the next generation of physicians to spare patients the needless suffering and expense of certain serious, long-term illnesses. Chronic disease is responsible for up to 80% of all health care expenditure, yet most health professionals typically treat chronic disease the same way they treat communicable disease: with pills and injections. By contrast, lifestyle medicine encourages physicians to focus on the so-called pillars of health: nutrition, exercise, rest and social connectivity, according to the California-based American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM). At The Wright Center, the lifestyle medicine curriculum will prepare health care providers to complete a thorough patient assessment of current health habits and then introduce individualized treatment plans based on specific risk factors. A Wright Center dietitian, for example, is available to meet individually with patients to develop plans for weight management. “Now seemed like the right time to become certified because of the health care needs of our patients and community and our new lifestyle medicine curriculum,” said Barooah, who received her certification from ABLM. “One common theme in every primary care visit with patients is preventive medicine. I thought I could contribute more to my patients and my resident and fellow physicians by becoming certified.” Lifestyle medicine represents her fourth board certification. Barooah also is certified in internal, addiction and obesity medicine. She sees patients at The Wright Center’s Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn and the Scranton Practice. For more information or to schedule an appointment at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley Practice, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
The Ritz to Host Performance In Celebration of Black History Month The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s comes to life in the three-time Tony award-winning musical revue, Ain’t Misbehavin’. Join five performers on a journey through the timeless music of Thomas “Fats” Waller. You’ll be jumpin’ and jivin’ with memorable songs such as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Black and Blue”, “This Joint is Jumpin’ ” and “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling.” One of the most popular, well-crafted revues of all time, the sometimes sassy, sometimes sultry, has moments of devastating beauty that is simply unforgettable. This Joint will certainly be Jumpin’ in celebration of Black History Month. TICKET INFORMATION: RESERVED SEATING $20: Rows D, E, F, H, Jhttps://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/60615 GENERAL SEATING $15: All other seats in the theaterhttps://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/60617 Tickets are also available at the Box Office in the lobby an hour before curtain. Any questions about the seating chart on ShowTix4U, please contact us at RitzPAC.Scranton@gmail.com. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Tickets are also available at the Box Office in the lobby an hour before curtain. There is a Chairlift in the Ritz building for handicapped patrons. If you need reserved handicapped seating, please email us at RitzPAC.Scranton@gmail.com to reserve your tickets in lieu of using ShowTix4U.com ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:Masks must be worn in the Ritz building.The Black Box Cafe will be open an hour before curtain. Concessions, snacks & drinks from the Black Box Cafe only are allowed in the theater. House opens 30 minutes before curtain. Please contact us at RitzPAC.Scranton@gmail.com or 570-252-4156 with any questions.
Johnson College PA State Vehicle Safety Inspectors Course Enrollment Open Johnson College’s Continuing Education Program is enrolling students in its next on-campus Pennsylvania State Vehicle Safety Inspectors course. Classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting March 15, 2022, through March 24, 2022, with hands-on testing beginning on Monday, March 28, 2022. To learn more or enroll, contact the Continuing Education Department at 570-702-8979 or continuinged@johnson.edu. The total cost of the course is $200 for cars and light trucks. There is an additional $75 fee for other vehicle categories. The Pennsylvania State Vehicle Safety Inspection course requirements include 12 classroom hours, a written test, and a two-hour tactile test scheduled independently with the instructor. Students must complete all requirements before receiving certification from PennDOT. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis according to the payment date. Class size is limited to 20 students, so participants are encouraged to register early. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have a valid operator’s license for each class of vehicle they intend to inspect. Classes will be held in the Automotive Center of Weaver Hall on the Johnson College campus in Scranton, PA. For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.
FNCB Supports Students at Allied Services FNCB Bank, locally based since 1910, has announced an $85,000 Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) donation to Allied Services dePaul School for Dyslexia. The non-profit school in Scranton serves children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, providing specialized instruction to assist students in identifying their learning style and maximizing their abilities. Students from 19 local school districts attend the full-time school serving grades 1 through 8. FNCB’s donation directly funded student scholarships for families in need. “The work the teachers, staff and administration at the dePaul School do is amazing,” said Jerry Champi, FNCB Bank President and CEO. “As a community partner, we are proud to support their efforts and help a large number of students reach their full potential.” The support of Allied Services dePaul School for Dyslexia 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. Since 2010, FNCB has contributed just under $2,500,000 to local educational and scholarship organizations through the EITC initiative.
DaKor Furniture and theKimmy Hosting Pop Up Shop This Weekend Visit DaKor Furniture – 306 S. State St. in Clarks Summit – will be hosting a pop up shop this weekend on Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Stop by to visit local small businesses including theKIMMY and more!
You’re Invited: We Are Alaska An inspiring, fun, and interactive online experience with Ebersmith Travel and Holland America Line You’re invited to explore Holland America Line’s Alaska Cruises and Land+Sea Journeys from the comfort of your own home with an expert resident guide who knows all things Alaska. Ask questions or listen in as others share experiences and tips about cruising this incredible region. We’ll also discuss special promotions that will be available only to those who join us! Register: www.ebersmithtravel.com/virtual-alaska
