PennDOT: Voting Open for Paint the Plow ProgramPennDOT:

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 4 invites the public to vote on 12 plows decorated by high school students in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, and Wyoming counties as part of the annual Paint the Plow program. Paint the Plow is a statewide outreach aimed at promoting winter driving safety and fostering appreciation for high school art programs and student creativity.

Earlier this year, PennDOT invited students/teens from District 4 to paint plow blades based on the statewide theme “Use Your Reason When It’s Freezin,” The theme was chosen to remind motorists that seat belts save lives and should be worn year-round.

Students from Carbondale Area High School, Delaware Valley High School, Dunmore High School, Hanover Area High School, Hazleton Area High School, Honesdale High School, North Pocono High School, Northwest High School, Old Forge High School. Riverside High School, Tunkhannock  High School, and West Scranton High School participated.

This year, the public is invited to vote through an online survey posted on the PennDOT website District 4 Paint the Plow Voting 2024. The voting form can be found by clicking on the county names within the table.

Additional Paint the Plow art programs were held throughout the state and the public may vote on their favorite from each participating district. Participation is limited to one vote per person per district.

The plow photo in each district that receives the most votes between December 10 and December 15, 2024, will be deemed the “Fan Favorite” for that area. Along with the “Fan Favorite” award, the blades are also eligible for the“Judges’ Pick” honor that will be determined by PennDOT personnel.

The winner in each category will be announced at the end of December.

Schools and participants are encouraged to share the link to the contest to promote voting. PennDOT may post thepictures on statewide and regional Facebook accounts, however responses on social media will not count toward the voting totals.

For more information on PennDOT’s winter preparations and additional winter-driving resources for motorists, visit the department’s winter website.

Applications Open for Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program

Calling Nonprofit Leaders: Applications for Cohort 5 of The University of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program now being accepted:

The University of Scranton Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program is designed to be a comprehensive, practitioner-focused course that tackles the pressing leadership challenges of high-potential nonprofit leaders throughout northeastern Pennsylvania. The program positions participants to successfully address both 1) their own personal leadership goals and capacity, and 2) a key organizational goal/capstone project that will strengthen their nonprofit organization. It combines classroom instruction, peer group work, coaching and mentoring, and reflective assignments to help participants to take a transformative step in their leadership journey.

Applications are due on September 20, 2024, and the program will officially kick-off in January of 2025. Two separate informational webinars have been scheduled to provide an overview of the program and to answer any questions from prospective applicants. The application, program booklet, and webinar schedule can all be found at www.nepa-alliance.org/nlcp/.

NLCP Info Guide

Scranton Tomorrow Recycling Program

  Yep. It’s true. We’re spilling the beans on our new recycling program!
Did you know … even if you toss your used coffee pods into the recycling bin, they are not being recycled in Lackawanna County? That’s because these convenient little pods can only be recycled if they are fully deconstructed. That’s too labor intensive to be practical. So, they add to the pile in the landfill.
Don’t worry. We have a solution!
In honor of America Recycles Day on November 15, Scranton Tomorrow’s Safe, Clean & Green Team is launching a program to recycle single-use coffee pods in partnership with the City of Scranton, Lackawanna County, and NeighborWorks of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
How you can participate.
Through the month of November, simply save your used pods instead of throwing them away. Once you’ve gathered a bunch, contact Steve Ward, Downtown Safe, Clean & Green Ambassador Team Leader at Scranton Tomorrow, at 570.963.5901 or steve@scrantontomorrow.org to make arrangements for drop-off.  

We’ll send all pods to a specialized recycling facility where components will be separated, the plastic part will be recycled and remanufactured, and the coffee grounds will be composted.
Learn More
Email Steve Ward to Sign Up
Partners
The single-use coffee pod recycling program in Lackawanna County is a project of Scranton Tomorrow in partnerships with:

PennDOT, KPB Name Students Chosen for Young Ambassadors Program

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful (KPB) today announced the slate of Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania for 2022-2023. The new-to-Pennsylvania program seeks to build community stewards and civic leaders by inspiring, engaging, and empowering young Pennsylvanians to not only keep their communities clean and beautiful but also become ambassadors in their community for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.

The program, being administered by KPB, was recommended in the commonwealth’s litter action plan, announced by Governor Tom Wolf in November 2021. Students applied to the program and were chosen through a competitive application process.

The students have committed to eight months of service as an ambassador while representing and upholding the mission and values of KPB. From October through May 2023, they will also develop civic leadership skills and experience to champion and advocate for clean and beautiful communities across Pennsylvania.

2022-2023 Young Ambassadors of PA:

Allegheny County

  • Andy Forrester, Grade 11, Pine-Richland High School;
  • Cale Klaff, Grade 12, Pine-Richland High School;
  • Eli Majocha, Grade 12, Highlands High School; and
  • Luke Anderson, Grade 10, Pine Richland High School.

Bradford County: Corben Conklin, Grade 11, Athens Area High School.

Butler County: Carmen Skal, Grade 12, Butler Senior High School.

Cambria County

  • Jensen Westrick, Grade 12, Central Cambria High School; and
  • Maddie Ostinowsky, Grade 12, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School.

Chester County

  • Henri Brunel, Grade 12, Conestoga High School; and
  • Naomi Tzoanos, Grade 11, Owen J. Roberts High School.

Columbia County: Brady McNamara, Grade 11, Central Columbia High School.

Cumberland County

  • Ania Chandra, Grade 12, Cumberland Valley High School;
  • Morgan Stellfox, Grade 10, East Pennsboro Area School District; and
  • Zahra Anjum, Grade 11, Cumberland Valley Virtual Academy.

Dauphin County: Eleana Rijo, Grade 10, Susquehanna Township High School.

Delaware County

  • CJ Chen, Grade 11, Strath Haven High School; and
  • Sage Baker, Grade 10, Strath Haven High School.

Erie County

  • Emma Burkett, Grade 12, Northwestern High School;
  • Tanvi Udgiri, Grade 11, Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy; and
  • Gianna Stewart, Grade 11, Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy.

Indiana County 

  • Anna Layden, Grade 11, Purchase Line Junior Senior High School; and
  • Via Krimin, Grade 12, Indiana Area Senior High School.

Lackawanna County: Grace Beckish, Grade 10, North Pocono High School.

Lancaster County: Stella Blue Weaver, Grade 12, JP McCaskey High School.

Lehigh County

  • Adrian  Chavez, Grade 10, Nazareth Area High School; and
  • Siddhant Khandelwal, Grade 12, Parkland High School.

Lycoming County: Jaden Nixon, Grade 12, St. John Neumann Regional Academy.

Monroe County: Rese Schlameuss, Grade 11, East Stroudsburg High School South.

Montgomery County

  • Claudia Brach, Grade 12, Perkiomen Valley High School;
  • Ri Sringari, Grade 12, Perkiomen Valley High School; and
  • Rudra Patel, Grade 12, Souderton Area High School.

Philadelphia County: Minping Nie, Grade 11, Central High School.

Pike County:

  • Fawn Dutcher, Grade 10, East Stroudsburg High School North; and
  • Angelique Smalls, Grade 11, East Stroudsburg High School North.

Washington County: Abby Salzman, Grade 12, California Area High School.

Marywood University’s “Dietitian for a Day” Program

Marywood University is hosting a “Dietitian for a Day” program on Tuesday, November 15, from 9:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., in the O’Neill Center for Health Families on the University’s campus. The program is free and open to anyone considering a career in nutrition and dietetics.

The program offers students an opportunity to learn what a dietitian is and about the different areas in which dietitians practice. Attendees will gain hands-on experience in several practice areas including sports, clinical and community nutrition, food science, and food service. The program also includes a session with admissions and financial aid counselors, a tour of Marywood’s campus, and lunch. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the nutrition and dietetics faculty as well as current students.

Attendees will gain a clearer picture about the career opportunities for a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and the types of classes, course material, and supervised practice involved in being a nutrition and dietetics major. Marywood’s Nutrition and Dietetics department provides coursework that prepares students to provide nutrition care in a variety of settings.

Register online by November 10 at https://admissions.marywood.edu/register/DietitianNov22 to attend “Dietitian for a Day.”

PS Bank Announces SBA Preferred Lender Status

PS Bank is pleased to announce that it has received Preferred Lender Program (PLP) status from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Achieving PLP status is another milestone for PS Bank and its lending team as its portfolio continues to expand throughout Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania.  PS Bank was nominated for the designation by the Philadelphia SBA field office because of its experience and expertise with SBA lending.

PS Bank offers a variety of SBA loan options for small business owners to meet expansion, acquisition, refinance, and working capital needs.

As a preferred lender, PS Bank can close transactions in a more seamless way – removing documentation hurdles and speeding up the loan approval process. PLP accreditation is based on an SBA review that analyzes loan processes, loan servicing, loan package development, and overall performance. Banks are reviewed based on their risk rating, default rates, purchase rates, loss rates, on-site reviews, loan volume, and more.

“Our lending team’s dedication to the success of each business customer, their customized approach to meeting business objectives, and their experience handling SBA transactions has led to our designation as a preferred lender,” said Anthony J. Gabello, President and CEO.

For over 100 years, PS Bank’s experienced lending team has developed close relationships with business owners in a variety of sectors. “Our team was especially successful during the outbreak of COVID-19 in their ability to service nearly every business that sought financial support through the Paycheck Protection Program. Regardless of business size, the necessary support was provided to each and every customer,” said Gabello.

Paul Walsh, vice president and commercial loan officer, has used the SBA program for over 20 years. “Put simply, SBA lending is good prudent lending.  It benefits borrowers by providing lower down payments and longer terms than traditional bank financing, keeping money within the business instead of tying it up in fixed assets or other expenses,” said Walsh. “Throughout my career, SBA Lending has enabled me to provide small businesses with the best financing options available.”  

The Wright Center News

Wright Center Launches National Physician Assistant Program

The Wright Center for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education - Home | Facebook

The Wright Center for Community Health recently welcomed eight master’s degree-level students who will be gaining knowledge and experience in its primary care practices as they complete a program to become physician assistants.

The students are part of the first class to enroll in the Central Coast Physician Assistant program, a new initiative of A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (ATSU) in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers and select health centers across the country.

Participants in the 24-month program attend ATSU’s Santa Maria campus in California for one year during their pre-clinical phase. Then they enter a clinical phase, which includes 35 weeks of supervised clinical practice experiences at The Wright Center or other partnered community health center.

“The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education are deeply immersed in and passionately committed to developing and inspiring our current and future interprofessional health care workforce,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “We are excited to embrace an expanded role in preparing physician assistants to work in community-based teaching health center settings, where they will serve and care for historically underserved populations.

“Our partnership with ATSU’s College for Healthy Communities will force-multiply the delivery of our shared mission to improve the health and welfare of America,” she added. “Future graduates of the program will be essential for the continued workforce renewal of safety-net community providers such as The Wright Center for Community Health, which depend on dedicated teams of caring, patient- and community-centered healers.”

Physician assistants Bryan Boyle and Angelo Brutico, each of whom is a Marywood University alumnus and Wright Center employee, will provide on-site program supervision and leadership as ATSU’s regional directors of physician assistant education.

The Central Coast Physician Assistant program prepares its graduates to be “highly competent professionals in the science of medicine” who are “steeped in the osteopathic tradition of body, mind, and spirit care for the whole person.”

The Wright Center and ATSU have a long track record of successfully collaborating to conceptualize and launch programs that develop compassionate, skilled physicians and other health care professionals to help address workforce shortages in the nation’s rural and other underserved communities.

Representatives from the A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA), based in Mesa, were involved in the planning stages of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s National Family Medicine Residency – a first-of-its-kind program that places resident physicians in one of four partner training sites in the U.S.

In 2020, as part of a separate program, The Wright Center for Community Health became a rotational host site for aspiring doctors enrolled at ATSU-SOMA – which prides itself on being “the medical school of the future.” The school’s unique medical education model allows students to spend their first year on campus in Mesa, Arizona, followed by three years at a community health center, where an emphasis is placed on fostering community-minded physicians who will be advocates for equitable health care access. About 30 ATSU-SOMA medical school students are currently based at The Wright Center’s primary care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania.

These programs, in combination with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s existing residency and fellowship programs, have positioned The Wright Center nonprofit enterprise to be a true regional provider of interprofessional health care education.

The inaugural cohort of physician assistant students is scheduled to complete its clinical rotation at The Wright Center in June 2023.

To learn more about opportunities in the Central Coast Physician Assistant program, visit ATSU’s website at atsu.edu. Or contact Carla Blakeslee, The Wright Center’s coordinator of clerkships, by calling 570-591-5116 or sending an email to blakesleec@thewrightcenter.org.

Boback’s Bill to Establish Purple Star School Program

Legislation to establish the Purple Star School Program in Pennsylvania, sponsored by Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, advanced to the Senate after its unanimous passage in the House of Representatives today.

“A child in an average military family may move up to nine times during their school-age years, creating a unique set of challenges,” said Boback. “The Purple Star School Program would make the Commonwealth’s service members aware that a school is dedicated to responding to the special needs their children face during transitions to a new community.”

Under House Bill 1867, Pennsylvania schools would be designated as Purple Star campuses if they demonstrate military-friendly practices and meet certain requirements such as: having a military liaison staff member; a webpage that includes resources for military students and families; and professional development training opportunities for staff members on issues relating to military students. Boback noted the program is voluntary for school districts.

Pennsylvania would join 27 other states that have Purple Star designation programs if Boback’s bill becomes law.

Marywood University’s “Nurse for a Day” Program

Marywood University is hosting a “Nurse for a Day” program on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., in the Center for Natural and Health Sciences on the University’s campus. The program is free and open to anyone interested in pursuing a nursing degree.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in CPR training and Simulation and Nursing Lab activities. A tour of Marywood’s campus will be provided, as well as lunch, at which attendees can meet with nursing faculty members. The “Nurse for a Day” program provides prospective nursing students with the opportunity to explore and find resources available to them. By speaking with faculty and current nursing students, attendees get a clearer picture about the types of classes, course material, and clinical work involved with a nursing major.

Marywood’s nursing department provides academic and clinical coursework to prepare students to provide health care services in a variety of settings. Graduates of the undergraduate program have unlimited opportunities in hospitals and school and nursing home settings. Other areas of practice include pharmaceuticals, research, consulting, management, and administration. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates may also choose to continue their education in pursuit of a career as a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, or educator.

To attend for “Nurse for a Day,” please register by Wednesday, March 9, 2022, at marywood.edu/NurseForADay. For additional information about Marywood University’s nursing program, please visit www.marywood.edu/nursing, or call (570) 348-6275.