Geisinger Honors 195 Providers for High Patient Satisfaction Ratings Geisinger recently honored 195 caregivers for being named among the best in the country by their patients, according to national surveys. Geisinger providers — including physicians, physician assistants and certified registered nurse practitioners — were recognized for ranking in the top 10% nationally for patient experience at the health system’s annual Top Patient Experience Clinicians Awards, which were held virtually this year. Scores were based on Press Ganey survey results, which gives patients an opportunity to grade the service and care they received from a provider. “There’s no better indicator of being a truly exceptional provider than to hear it from your patients,” said J. Edward Hartle, M.D., Geisinger’s executive vice president and chief medical officer. “Each year we have more Geisinger providers ranking in the top 10% nationally for patient experience, all while the standards keep getting tougher. The bar keeps getting higher, and our care providers continue to excel in making better health easier for our patients.” Among the 195 clinicians honored, three were spotlighted for exemplary work, receiving Geisinger awards for going above and beyond when it comes to compassionate patient care. Shane Daniel Newhouser, DOAkiko Kawamura, MDDebra Kaleta, PA-C Shane Daniel Newhouser, DO, family medicine physician at Geisinger State College, and Akiko Kawamura, MD, pediatrician at Geisinger Mount Pocono, received the Victor J. Marks Award for best Primary Care Physician and Outpatient Specialty Physician, respectively. The award was established in 2002 to honor Dr. Victor Marks, 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 is given to the primary care physician and the outpatient specialty physician at Geisinger who have the highest overall scores on the care provider section of the patient satisfaction survey. Debra Kaleta, PA-C, in family medicine at Geisinger Mount Carmel, 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. The 90th percentile Geisinger winners are: Central region:Robin L. Adams, CRNP, Obstetrics/GynecologyKenneth Wayne Altman, MD, OtolaryngologyMadiha Mubarik Alvi, MD, EndocrinologyChristina Jo Appleman, CRNP, Obstetrics/GynecologyAmy Gregory Barrett, PA-C, PediatricsMaria C. Bermudez, MD, NephrologyJudith Bianchi Bowser, OD, OphthalmologyThomas J. Bules, CRNP, Cardiovascular DiseaseGreg F. Burke, MD, Internal MedicineJoyce A. Burnside, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseRonald Byerly, PA-C, Internal MedicineJames Tran Connolly, PA-C, Orthopaedic SurgeryMichelle Annabella Cornacchia, MD, Internal MedicineNicole Deckard, LGC, GeneticsDevin M. Conrad, PA-C, ConvenientCareKendall Dobbins, MD, OphthalmologyDan Lawrence Dometita, DO, Internal MedicineCassondra A. Ellison, MD, DermatologyJames R. Elmore, MD, Vascular SurgeryMatthew A. Facktor, MD, Thoracic SurgeryTammie Christine Ferringer, MD, DermatologyHenry F. Fesniak, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseBrant R. Fulmer, MD, UrologyChristine Anne Gallagher, OD, OphthalmologyTullika Garg, MD, UrologyKeith Gibson, MD, Family MedicineNathalie M. Guibord, MD, OphthalmologyMichael John Halupa, Dental SurgeryCharles Eugene Heid, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseEric John Hodgson, MD, Maternal & Fetal MedicineNeil Robert Holland, MD, NeurologyDawn R. Hornberger, CRNP, EndocrinologyElyssa M. Johnson, PA-C, Family MedicineDebra M. Kaleta, PA-C, Family MedicineRosalind L. Kellum, CRNP, Cardiovascular DiseaseJoel C. Klena, MD, Orthopaedic SurgeryErin Elisabeth Kohrherr, PA-C, Reproductive Endo/InfertilityBenjamin Robert Kuhn, DO, Pediatric GastroenterologyLauren Elizabeth Samuels, PA-C, Convenient CareMark R. Lentz, MD, Internal MedicineJenna Marie Lindenmuth, PA-C, Orthopaedic Surgery, Sports MedicineLindsay Anne Hauser, CRNP, ConvenientCareKevin Carl Long, MD, Colon & Rectal SurgeryRobert Blake Lowe, DO, Family MedicineMichele S. Maroon, MD, DermatologyShannon M. McShea-Johansson, PA-C, GastroenterologyRobert Alain Meloy, MD, Internal MedicineBrittany Eve Meyer, PA-C, Obstetrics/GynecologyO. Fred Miller III, MD, DermatologyBrian Richard Monroe, MD, Anesthesiology, Pain ManagementMegan Marie Moran, DO, PediatricsDonald C. Moyer, DO, PediatricsMisha Matongo Mutizwa, MD, DermatologyEric D. Newman, MD, RheumatologyJess W. Oren IV, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseMatthew Lee Palmer, MD, DermatologyRajiv P. Panikkar, MD, Medical OncologyLori A. Parke, CRNP, General SurgeryMayur A. Patel, MD, Medical OncologyPriyanka Pathak, MD, HematologyHoward B. Pride, MD, DermatologyJohn Stephen Quick, MD, AnesthesiologyArsalan Rafiq, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseMarylou Rainone, DO, General SurgeryJodie Alton Reider, MD, EndocrinologyWells T. Reinheimer, DO, OphthalmologyDavid D. K. Rolston, MD, Internal MedicineDana L. Rubin, PA-C, Plastic SurgeryLisa Lorrae Schroeder, MD, Internal MedicineElizabeth Keslar Scott, CRNP, Cardiovascular DiseaseMark Alan Seeley, MD, Orthopaedic SurgeryJohn A. Semian, MD, General SurgeryKeith E. Shalongo, OD, OphthalmologyMatthew J. Shellenberger, DO, GastroenterologyCatherine Terese Shoff, DO, Pulmonary DiseaseDennis Randall Smith, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseJordan Bennett Southern, MD, UrologyRandle H. Storm, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseAlexis Svokos, MD, Obstetrics/GynecologyJill Susan Sweigard, CRNP, PediatricsJohn Robert Tomedi Sr., MD, Family MedicineTyler William Baran, PA-C, ConvenientCareTyler Raymond West, DO, Anesthesiology, Pain ManagementCaitlin Jean Wiscount, MD, PediatricsSandrina Dawn Womer, CRNP, Cardiovascular DiseaseJessica Gidaro Yancoskie, CRNP, OphthalmologyKathya Michelle Zinszer, DPM, Podiatry North-central:Mark Judson Rockwell, PA-C, ConvenientCareMelissa Jean Kireski, CRNP, ConvenientCareTena Delores Miller, PA-C, Family MedicineNicholas Showman, PA-C, DermatologyDana M. Smith, DO, PediatricsRoy Erroll Tuller, DO, OphthalmologyJessica Ann Zozos Stehman, PA-C, Obstetrics/Gynecology Northeast:Christian Stephen Adonizio, MD, Medical OncologyAlexander M. Piczon, PA-C, Ortho & Sports Medicine Urgent CareJoseph Patrick Bannon, MD, General SurgeryLouis C. Blaum Jr., MD, General SurgeryElizabeth A. Bordy, PA-C, Family MedicinePranjal Kumar Boruah, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseMary Catherine Brady, MD, DermatologyLaurie Campfield, DO, PediatricsJose I. Castillo, MD, Medical OncologyPeter Joseph Cawley, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseCharlea Natasha Pedro, CRNP, ConvenientCareStacy J. Conway, OD, OphthalmologyKelly Jo Dalton, OD, OphthalmologyBrian A. Delvecchio, DO, RheumatologyLaurel Foxworth Dodgson, PA-C, Anesthesiology, Pain ManagementMitchell J. Gross, MD, NeurologyCollin Douglas Hair, MD, OphthalmologyMegan Ward Harris, PA-C, DermatologyJulia Ann Zafia Carey, PA-C, ConvenientCareKarla Grace Dalious, PA-C, ConvenientCareAkiko Kawamura, MD, PediatricsAmanda Katherine Keegan, PA-C, UrologyEric J. Kemmerer, MD, Radiation OncologyKimberly Kaminsky, PA-C, ConvenientCareDavid J. Kolessar, MD, Orthopaedic SurgeryKimberly A. Kovalick, DO, Family MedicineMichael A. Kovalick, DO, Family MedicineMelissa Laporte, CRNP, EndocrinologyLeopoldo Legaspi, MD, PediatricsLauren Nicole Polanin, PA-C, ConvenientCareKara Anne Levandoski, PA-C , Cardiovascular DiseaseMaya Lillyan Lichtenstein, MD, NeurologyPaul R. Long, MD, DermatologyBenoit Mapa, DO, Obstetrics/GynecologyDavid R. Mariner, MD, Vascular SurgeryVernon H. Mascarenhas, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseMartin Eugene Matsumura, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseEvan Lee McClennen, DO, Obstetrics/GynecologySandeep Mehrok, MD, Family MedicineElizabeth Erin Miller, DO, General SurgeryCarl Andrew Nieweld, MD, Pulmonary DiseaseKathleen Marie Noss, DO, PediatricsFrank C. Olshemski, MD, Family MedicineMark Peter Pallis, DO, Orthopaedic SurgerySandra L. Pensieri, DPM, PodiatryJohn Mark Prater, MD, Family MedicineBrogdan Protyniak, MD, Colon & Rectal SurgeryJohn Robert Ramey, MD, UrologyWaqarun Nisa Rashid, MD, Obstetrics/GynecologyJamian M. Ryan, DO, PediatricsLakshmi Neeharika Saladi, MD, Pulmonary DiseaseThomas Spencer Samuelsen, MD, Obstetrics/GynecologySarah Ann Brown, CRNP, Urgent CareKenny Alan Schwartz, MD, NeurologyShreya Sinha, MD, Oncology, MedicalAlessandro G. Smeraldi, MD, Surgery, VascularJohn Joseph Sobuto III, DO, Critical Care MedicineJames A. Tricarico, DO, Family MedicineCassandra Lynn Tunis, DO, Family MedicineJustin Gerard Tunis, MD, Orthopaedic Surgery, Sports MedicineDaniel William Upton, MD, OphthalmologyPugazhendhi Vijayaraman, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseKathleen Iezzi Walsh, MD, PediatricsMary Rachel Wolf, PA-C, Surgical OncologyJason Raymond Woloski, MD, Family MedicineJoseph Alexander Wong, MD, Physical Medicine & RehabilitationSarah Ann Worsnick, PA-C, Cardiovascular DiseaseBonnie Tong Young, CRNP, Cardiology (Interventional)Shane Steven Young, MD, Family Medicine West:Lorraine L. Rosamilia, MD, DermatologyTrevor Sherrick Smith, DO, Family MedicineNatalie Rebeccah Steffen, PA-C, Family MedicineMichelle Jane Thal, PA-C, Allergy & ImmunologyKathleen Mary Zazzali, DO, Cardiovascular Disease
NET Credit Union Donates to The Greater Scranton YMCA NET Credit Union donated $10,000 to The Greater Scranton YMCA to benefit their 2021 Capital Campaign. The Capital Campaign benefits renovations to serve their community better. The YMCA currently offers numerous programs to benefit all ages and demographics of our local community. The donations from The Capital Campaign will go towards a new kitchen that will benefit current and future programs and a new Welcome Center that will be more “user friendly” and secure for both staff and members. These updated areas will allow The YMCA to offer more programs and services. The YMCA is a Preffered Partner Group of NET Credit Union. This means all staff is able to Bank On NET. We apprecaite all of our relationships with our Preffered Partners, especially ones that benefit our local community like The Greater Scranton YMCA.
The Wright Center Supports the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education recently donated $10,000 to the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties in support of its annual campaign. “The United Way and the people we serve every day are grateful for the ongoing support of The Wright Center,” said Gary W. Drapek, president and CEO of the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties. “Our missions to lift up underserved communities in the region are more important than ever as the global pandemic continues to affect many facets of our lives. This donation will lessen the impact of COVID-19 on those who can least afford it.” The Wright Center cares for more than 30,000 patients at its eight primary care practices in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. The Wright Center for Community Health works to improve the health and welfare of Northeast Pennsylvania by improving access to patient-centric health care services, while The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education builds a sustainable and competent workforce of physicians. Participating in the ceremonial check presentation ceremony at The Wright Center, from left, are Deborah Kolsovsky, chairperson, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties’ annual campaign; Gary W. Drapek, president and CEO, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties; Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, and Gerard Geoffroy, chairperson, The Wright Center for Community Health Board of Directors.
Your Beautiful Flowers Opens at The Marketplace at Steamtown Your Beautiful Flowers, a local flower shop, opened a store front location at The Marketplace at Steamtown, just in time for Valentine’s day Order custom bouquets to fit any price point or NFL football vases for this weekend!
Promote Your Business on the Ice Festival Map The Scranton Ice Festival wants to promote restaurants, bars, and other businesses downtown! To promote your business, we are requesting the below info we can add to the map: Days/hours you’ll be open during the festival (fyi – Festival hours: Fri 5-9, Sat 1-9, and Sun 1-5)Very brief business description/taglineWhat you serve (Food, Alcoholic Beverages, Non-Alcoholic Beverages)Any specials, promos, events, or added services you’ll have availableWhether you’re family friendlyThe preferred website you’d like us to link to (perhaps you’d prefer to link to your menu or your social media) We’ll be adding this as a layer to our existing map which can be found here. Email scrantonicefest@gmail.com with your business information.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties is once again offering the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program to prepare local, state and federal income tax returns for FREE! There are NO hidden fees or charges – this is a completely FREE Service designed to help people secure all the refunds and credits for which they are eligible. How do I schedule an appointment? There’s two ways to schedule an appointment: Schedule an appointment by clicking HEREStarting Monday, January 3rd, call 2-1-1 and speak to an agent that can book your appointment over the phone.In the case 2-1-1 doesn’t connect, be sure to call 570.602.3133 to schedule your appointment. Please leave a voicemail when/if prompted. When does the VITA program start? You can schedule your VITA appointment today! The first day on the schedule for this current tax season will be Friday, February 4th. What if I want to file my own taxes? If you’d like to file your taxes on your own, The United Way offers help for those who are comfortable preparing their own taxes online. MyFreeTaxes, powered by TaxSlayer, is available nationwide and includes federal and unlimited state returns FOR FREE while avoiding restrictive eligibility criteria. There is no age or geographic limitations. MyFreeTaxes follows the IRS VITA program guidelines and target filers who generally earn around $57,000 or less, but filers with incomes over this threshold will not be blocked from using this FREE Software and will not be charged any fees! Is VITA for me? Our VITA volunteers will prepare state, local and federal tax returns for households and senior citizens from Northeast Pennsylvania that have income during 2021 of $57,000. Wage earners and non-wage earners are both eligible. VITA by the numbers: During the 2021 tax season, the United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program saved our tax clients $228,300 in fees as we filed 1,522 tax returns for free with $1,658,329 in federal refunds being returned to the community—and the budgets of hard-working area families. Information about 2022 VITA appointments: For a complete checklist of what you need for your tax drop-off, a schedule of this year’s appointments, and more CLICK HERE
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Forum, Call for Speakers We’re looking for passionate speakers to join us as presenters for our third annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Forum, presented by the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council and in partnership with our regional chambers! This year, we will be taking what used to be our webinar series and offering a full day of DEI-focused sessions. We are looking for diverse-owned businesses owners or entrepreneurs and individuals who have dedicated themselves to building diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in their workplaces and in the communities. Presentations will take place over Zoom on April 12th and will be 30 minutes in length. Selections will be determined at the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council meeting in March and speakers will be notified of their selection soon after applications close. Complete the RFP form before the close of business on February 10th. For any questions, please email Everal at everal@wyomingvalleychamber.org.
The Waverly Community House to Host Frederick Douglass Talk E. J. Murphy, Project Coordinator for the Waverly Community House’s Destination Freedom: Underground Railroad Walking Tour of Waverly will host a talk on Frederick Douglass and Northeastern Pennsylvania, entitled “But Because He is a Man”. This program will highlight the effect that Douglass’ influence had on local and national events during the Civil War era as well as his connections, both direct and indirect, to Northeastern Pennsylvania. E.J. Murphy is an educator and public historian from Scranton, PA. The talk, sponsored by Toyota of Scranton and Peoples Security Bank & Trust will be held on Sunday, February 20th at 1:00 PM in The Comm auditorium. This educational program is appropriate for school-aged children. Free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted for the Destination Freedom Project. Reservations suggested. Call the Comm office: 570 .586.8191 Or click HERE for online reservations.
Narayana S. Murali, M.D., Named Chief Medical Officer of Medicine Services at Geisinger Geisinger announced that Narayana Murali, M.D., will serve as the new chief medical officer of medicine services at Geisinger. This leadership position will oversee Geisinger’s strategic plan and operations for the medicine, cancer, and women’s and children’s institutes throughout the system. Dr. Murali has served as executive vice president of care delivery and chief strategy officer at Marshfield Clinic Health System in Marshfield, Wis., since 2014, where he was heavily involved in driving and shaping its transformation. “Geisinger is always working on ways to make better health easier for our patients. Bringing Narayana Murali, M.D., on board as the new chief medical officer of medicine services will further our mission to enhance care for our patients, our members and our communities,” said J. Edward Hartle, M.D., executive vice president and system chief medical officer. “Given Dr. Murali’s wealth of experience and expertise and his passion for always enhancing patient care, we’re confident that he will continue to set the bar even higher for us to deliver a premier patient experience.” “After 15 fulfilling years at Marshfield Clinic Health System, I’m honored to be joining Geisinger,” said Dr. Murali. “This system has a longstanding history in the community and is nationally recognized for innovating healthcare. Geisinger’s patient-first mindset is one many in the healthcare industry aspire to follow, and I look forward to finding ways to transform the industry by creating an exemplary patient experience in our communities.” As the new chief medical officer, Dr. Murali will work closely with institute chairs to develop strategic plans that address customer expectations, as well as quality and cost of care with the goal of driving change for the betterment of patient care and Geisinger communities. Dr. Murali earned his medical degree at the University of Madras in India, completed his internship at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pa., and his residency at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education in Rochester, Minn. He also completed a National Institutes of Health-sponsored Clinician Investigator Training Program and a fellowship in kidney disease at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, as well as the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
City of Scranton Launches Online Permitting and Licensing Portal Mayor Paige G. Cognetti announced that the City of Scranton has officially launched a new online permitting and licensing portal powered by cloud software provider OpenGov. The City is now inviting residents to apply for a select group of permits and licenses online via the new online service portal, accessible HERE. Over the next few months, more permit and license types will be added to the portal. When the City of Scranton decided to make the transition to online permitting, its primary goal was to move away from a long-standing paper-based process. Along with streamlining internal processes, residents will experience convenient self-service, the ability to track, manage, and converse about applications in a single portal, and conditional forms that will improve application accuracy and reduce application time. Applicants will be able to print their permits and licenses from home and receive email notifications updating them when there are changes to their applications. This move is part of a greater transformation of the City’s IT platform, which is rooted around four core applications: OpenGov Financials, OpenGov Citizen Services, NeoGov, and Cartegraph which will individually be utilized to modernize the City of Scranton’s Financial, License and Permitting, HR, and Fleet Management systems throughout 2022. The City will continue accepting paper applications for the time being. The City will also maintain its current payment methods but will be moving to online payments soon. “We are pleased to announce the launch of the city’s new online permitting and licensing portal powered by OpenGov’s Citizen Services Suite,” said Mayor Cognetti. “Maintaining long-standing, outdated processes is not a viable option for a modern city. Our taxpayers demand better services and replacing the City’s operating technology is an opportunity to change in how we meet our constituents’ needs and, especially with improved permitting services, support our economic development efforts.” For additional help applying online, you can come to the front office in City Hall when it is open to the public, or you can go to the Scranton Public Library. The library offers free access to computers and trained library staff to assist patrons one-on-one. In the near future, the Library will offer free classes to teach the public how to use the Citizen Portal. These classes will be held in the library’s Technology Lab and taught by the computer instructor. Community members can reach the library by calling (570) 348-3000. Email ahallock@scrantonpa.gov with questions.
