The Honesdale National Bank Announces Promotion of Sharon Smith

Thomas E. Sheridan Jr., President, and CEO of The Honesdale National Bank, announced Sharon Smith has been promoted to Branch Manager at the Lackawaxen Office.

In making the statement, Sheridan noted, “We are pleased extend this opportunity to Sharon as she grows her career at HNB.” He continued, “She has been proactive in our Lackawaxen community and eager to assist customers with their banking needs which is vital to the HNB & me experience.”

Originally from Queens, NY, Smith moved to the area in her teenage years, graduating from Honesdale High School, and has since received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from East Stroudsburg University. She has then pursued over 20 years in retail management at the Dollar Tree in Honesdale and has now spent 2 years in the financial Industry.

As Branch Manager, Smith is responsible for serving the Lackawaxen community by upholding HNB’s strong values and superior service. On top of managing the operations of the office, she will assist customers as they visit for their personal and business banking needs.

In mentioning her new role with HNB, Smith said, “I am glad to be a part of an organization that encourages professional growth and values support for our customers, employees, and communities.” She continued, “I am happiest when I am assisting customers with their banking needs and building relationships within this community and beyond.”

Since 2022, she has been a volunteer on the Board of Directors for Victims’ Intervention Program of Wayne and Pike Counties. She is also a volunteer/member for the Honesdale High School Band Parents Organization. Outside of the bank, she enjoys spending time with her family. 

The Honesdale National Bank, established in 1836, holds the distinction of being the area’s oldest independent community bank headquartered in Northeastern PA, with offices in Wayne, Pike, Susquehanna, Lackawanna, and Luzerne Counties.  The Honesdale National Bank offers personal banking, business banking and wealth solutions.  For more information on HNB’s products and services, visit www.hnbbank.bank.

Wright Center Internal Medicine Resident Continues Cancer Research

Wright Center Internal Medicine resident Dr. Lekha Yadukumar presented scholarly research in December on the demographics and disparities in Large Granular Lymphocyte (LGL) Leukemia at the American Society of Hematology’s 65th Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California.

The third-year resident, who plans to pursue a career in hematology-oncology, worked with a University of Nebraska Medical Center hematology-oncology fellow to perform a retrospective cohort study of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for patients diagnosed with the rare blood cancer from 2000-2020. They analyzed statistics on patient demographics, year of diagnosis, and timeline of treatment. Dr. Nirali Patel, core faculty with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine Residency and associate program director of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Geriatrics Fellowship,served as the study’s faculty mentor.

The study examined statistics from 2,589 patients, with a median age of 67 years and 52.7% being men. In addition, 81.5% were Caucasians, 9.6% were African Americans, and 5.3% were Asians/Pacific Islanders, followed by 2% Hispanics and 1.5% American Indians.

Nearly 92% of those included in the study were diagnosed after 2010, leading Yadukumar to note the increasing incidence over the last decade.

“Younger age groups, females, and marital status have improved outcomes. Caucasians have better prognosis compared to other races,” said the Bangalore, India, native, adding that the findings spotlight the need for better representation of other races in clinical trials and to further investigate the tumor biology of the cancer. 

“The conference was a great opportunity, as I got to present my work to the leaders in this field,” Yadukumar said. “Next year, I am headed to the University of Iowa for my hematology-oncology fellowship, and the conference was a good platform for me.”

The findings will also be published in “Blood,” a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Society of Hematology.

Yadukumar’s first time exploring racial disparities in cancer research. She served as the lead researcher in a study that found Black men were diagnosed with breast cancer at a later age and had a higher mortality rate compared to white men. The findings were presented in a research poster at the May 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology Breast Cancer Annual Congress in Berlin, Germany.

She worked on that study with several other doctors, including fellow Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Internal Medicine Resident Dr. Amninder Singh. The study’s findings drew media attention, including an article in MD Edge, an online magazine dedicated to hematology and oncology news.

Additionally, Yadukumar was inspired to study esophageal cancer hospitalizations in the transgender population after meeting a patient at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic. She utilized the national inpatient sample database from 2015-2020 for her study.

Together with Wright Center Cardiovascular Disease Fellow Dr. Yaser Khalid and several other doctors and resident physicians from across the country, Yadukumar analyzed mortality, length of hospital stays, and total hospital costs for 212,425 patients, including 97,950 transgender patients. The research team presented their findings at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer in Barcelona, Spain.

“Our study showed transgender patients had a 5.1 times increased risk of death. They had increased total hospital costs and longer length of stays compared to the general population,” she said. “Our takeaway was that there is a significant difference in outcomes when we compare transgender people to the general population. While cis-gender differences in cancer prevalence and outcomes are well investigated, there is a need to study transgender populations to understand the existing disparities in their outcomes.”

Through her research on this project, Yadukumar found the option to document a patient as transgender is not available in most cancer databases. “The health care system is truly biased against this population in our community, and there is a need to actively work on bridging this gap from a clinician perspective, as well as with research,” she added.

For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.

Outreach- Center for Community Resources Receives Community Needs Grant

Outreach – Center for Community Resources received a grant for $12,000 from the Scranton Area Community Foundation in June of this year for Outreach Evidence-based Early Childhood Education as part of the 2023 Spring Community Needs Grant Cycle.

Outreach offers evidence-based home visiting programs for parents and their children. The early childhood education programs focus on child development and school readiness for families with children prenatal to age 3. Services focus on positive parent-child interactions, school readiness, and overall family well-being. Outreach Family Development Specialists visit the homes of the parents and their children weekly. The Outreach home visitors and parents plan ways to help the child learn using parent-child interactions, daily routines, and household materials.

Outreach child-serving programs aim to improve school readiness through high-quality activities that enhance cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Outreach parenting programs allow parents to gain the skills to implement positive parenting techniques that result in improved behavioral outcomes for their children and connect them to a social network of other parents.

Outreach is very grateful to the Scranton Area Community Foundation for its continued support of the family-serving programs we provide for the regional community. This funding has helped Outreach advance its mission to assist families in achieving stability and economic self-sufficiency.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation has been serving the Northeastern Pennsylvania region for over 65 years as a steward, a grant-maker, a charitable resource, and a catalyst for change and growth. The Scranton Area Community Foundation was established as a community trust in 1954 by the Scranton Family, whose initial gift was the seed that has grown into a permanent vehicle for donors to accomplish their philanthropic goals while helping to support positive change within our community. Today the Scranton Area Community Foundation holds and manages a variety of funds from individuals, organizations, and corporations. Through these gifts, the Foundation responds to community needs and has provided grants to support regional nonprofits.

Northeast Regional Cancer Institute Releases Latest Report on Cancer

The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, a community-based nonprofit organization, is pleased to present this
report on cancer incidence and mortality in Northeastern Pennsylvania. For over 30 years, the Cancer Institute
has worked to ease the burden of cancer by focusing on the areas of community & patient services and
survivorship. The Cancer Institute invests 100% of its resources in this region.

The Cancer Surveillance Program at the Cancer Institute compiled this report using data from the
organization’s Regional Cancer Registry, the Bureau of Health Statistics and Research of the Pennsylvania
Department of Health, and the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)
Program. This report describes cancer incidence and mortality in Northeastern Pennsylvania relative to the
United States for the 23 most common cancer sites. For the purpose of this report, Northeastern Pennsylvania is
defined as the six counties of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming. Data from the
SEER program were taken as representative of incidence and mortality rates for the United States as a whole.

In April 2023, the SEER Program reported effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on cancer incidence statistics for
the year 2020. Reported incidence was down in April and May but returned to pre-Covid levels by June 2020.
As a result, reported cancer incidence rates for 2020 were lower than expected based on 2019 and earlier
data. The deficit in incidence varied by cancer site, but for all sites combined was approximately 9.3%. An
examination of cancer incidence data for Northeastern Pennsylvania showed a similar drop in cancer cases
reported in April and May of 2020, resulting in a 6.3% decrease in incidence for the year as a whole. Because of
the small difference between SEER and Northeastern Pennsylvania in the covid-related drop in incidence and
the Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) in this report are based on data for a five-year period (2016-2020), any
effects of Covid-19 on the calculated SIRs are expected to be quite small. Consequently, no adjustments were
made to account for the possible effects of Covid-19 on the SIRs presented here.

The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute uses these cancer surveillance data to focus the organization’s
community and patient services to have the greatest possible impact. Similarly, they hope that the information
contained in this report is helpful in support of patients at risk of or diagnosed with cancer and their
loved ones.

Wayne Bank’s Vincent O’Bell Re-Appointed to Health and Welfare Authority

Wayne Bank Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer, Vincent O’Bell, was recently reappointed to Chairman of the Scranton and Lackawanna Health and Welfare Authority.

Mr. O’Bell has over 45 years in the financial industry.  Mr. O’Bell also serves as a member of the investment and finance committee for the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a member of the finance counsel of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and a Board Member, Treasurer, and Paul Harris Fellow for the Rotary Club of Scranton.

Mr. Donnelly stated, “Vinny is an integral part of our leadership team.  His guidance, expertise, and commitment to our business customers and our employees are a big part of our success.  We are proud to celebrate Vinny’s re-appointment as Chairman of Scranton and Lackawanna County’s Health and Welfare Authority.  Vinny cares deeply about our communities, and I am confident the people of Lackawanna County will continue to benefit from him leading the Scranton and Lackawanna Health and Welfare Authority.”

Marywood University Sets Virtual Info Sessions for Graduate Programs

Marywood University will hold virtual information sessions for several graduate programs throughout the month of January. Prospective graduate or doctoral students interested in any of these programs are encouraged to sign up for the virtual events. To register for any of these programs, go to marywood.edu/visit.

Master of Social Work Program: Wed., Jan. 3, 2024, at 6 PM

Learn about Marywood’s Master of Social Work program, converse with faculty, and get information from Admissions staff about the application process.

School of Education Graduate Programs: Thurs., Jan. 4, 2024, 3 PM

Spend an afternoon online with Marywood faculty and Admissions staff to learn more about School of Education graduate degree programs as well as the admissions application process.

Ph.D. and Master of Public Administration Programs: Tues., Jan. 9, 2024, 6 PM

Join Marywood faculty member Dr. Alex Dawoody and Admissions staff virtually to learn about our 100% online Ph.D. and Master of Public Administration degree programs, which use dynamic teaching methods designed for learning adults and effective graduate studies.

Dietetic Internship Program: Wed., Jan. 10, 2024, 4 PM

This virtual event includes an overview of the Nutrition/Dietetic Internship program and conversations with current student interns.

Biotechnology Master’s Program: Mon., Jan. 22, 2024, 5:30 PM

Join science faculty members virtually to learn about Marywood’s 100% online Biotechnology degree program. You’ll also get information about the application process from Admissions staff.

School of Business and Global Innovation-MBA and MIS Programs: Wed., Jan. 24, 2024, 5 PM

Join business faculty online to learn about MBA and Management Information System graduate degree programs. Admissions staff will discuss the admissions application process.

Graduate & Doctoral Psychology & Counseling Programs: Tues., Jan. 30, 2024, 3 PM

Spend an afternoon online with faculty and Admissions staff to learn about Marywood’s Counseling & Psychology graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as the admissions application process. This session includes the Ed.S. School Psychology and Psy.D. Clinical Psychology programs.

Wayne Bank Increases Cash Dividend

James O. Donnelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwood Financial Corp (NASDAQ Global Market – NWFL), and its subsidiary Wayne Bank, announced that the Board of Directors declared a $0.30 per share quarterly dividend, payable February 1, 2024, to shareholders of record as of January 12, 2024. The $0.30 per share represents an increase of 3.5% over the cash dividend declared in the third quarter of this year and the fourth quarter of 2022. During 2023, total cash dividends declared were $1.17 per share, compared to the $1.13 per share declared in 2022.

Mr. Donnelly commented, “The Board is extremely pleased to provide our shareholders with this increase in their quarterly dividend. It reflects the Company’s financial strength and strong capital position which has contributed to our solid performance. We are also very proud that 2023 marks the thirty-second consecutive year of dividend increases for the Company.”

Norwood Financial Corp, through its subsidiary, Wayne Bank operates fourteen offices in Northeastern Pennsylvania and fifteen offices in Delaware, Sullivan, Ontario, Otsego and Yates Counties, New York. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had total assets of $2.180 billion, loans outstanding of $1.611 billion, total deposits of $1.747 billion and total stockholders’ equity of $164.7 million. The Company’s stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “NWFL”.

Forward-Looking Statements

The foregoing material may contain forward-looking statements. Norwood cautions that such statements may be subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, and therefore readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our ability to pay or increase cash dividends in the future, the continued financial strength, solid performance and strong capital position of the Company, changes in federal and state laws, changes in the absolute and relative levels of interest rates, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s results of operation and financial condition, the ability to control costs and expenses, demand for real estate, costs associated with cybercrime, general economic conditions and the effectiveness of governmental responses thereto. Norwood Financial Corp does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Anthony Rodia: Totally Relatable Tour Coming to Mohegan Pennsylvania

The Keystone Grand Ballroom at Mohegan Pennsylvania is set to host the refreshingly genuine, quick witted and totally relatable comedian, Anthony Rodia, for the Totally Relatable Tour on Saturday, March 2nd. Doors open at 6:30pm and the laughs start at 8:00pm. Tickets to this can’t-miss show start at $35 and go on sale Wednesday, December 20th at 10:00am via ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the Mohegan Pennsylvania Box Office located at the Hotel Front Desk, subject to availability. This show is open to guests of all ages.

After returning from his comedy hiatus in 2019, the self-proclaimed “King of Off the Boat Comedy” has gained over 900,000 social media followers and has amassed over 22 million views on his YouTube videos. With the onset of quarantine, Anthony made the most of a captive audience, delivering a staggering 86 weekly videos. “ROAD RAGE WEDNESDAY” became a fan favorite, but his Uncle Vinny and Zia Lucia characters transformed into a phenomenon. They are the crazy uncle and aunt you love but can’t be out in public with, who speak their minds (whether you asked for it or not). Since his liftoff, Anthony Rodia has appeared on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, FOX’s Good Day New York, and Elizabeth & Elisa on News 12. Rodia also hosts, Little Bit of Laughs, a weekly podcast on Podcast One with radio legend Goumba Johnny where fans can listen to the two get into hot topics, rants, pranks, and listener’s questions and stories.

Please note, most areas of Mohegan Pennsylvania, including the hotel, are restricted to ages 21 years and older. All minors attending the show must enter through the hotel entrance, proceed directly to the event and be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older at all times.

Broadway in Scranton Offering Hairspray Ticket Sales

Purchase two tickets to the Friday night or Saturday night performances of HAIRSPRAY and save $24 on select seats!

When purchasing in person, must use code 2024

When purchasing online, click UNLOCK and use code 2024

*Offer valid now thru 11:59PM Mon., Jan. 1.  Available online and in person. Must purchase two tickets to redeem. Select seats only. Valid for the Fri. Jan. 12 at 7:30PM and Sat. Jan. 13 at 7:30PM performances. Subject to ticket availability and does not apply to previously purchased tickets. Limited inventory available.