VNA Hospice and Home Health Community Sock Donation Drive Success Every year the Christmas holiday tends to bring out the best qualities in our human race. A time for giving, placing others needs before our own, and donating a priceless gift of volunteered time. In November, our Volunteer Coordinator, Marina Pambianco, and our amazing volunteer network organized a local donation drive requesting pairs of socks to be distributed in the month of December along with Meals on Wheels food delivery. Our goal at VNA Hospice and Home Health was to collect 1000 pair of socks for those in need. This year the Visiting Nurse Association ASKED and our community ANSWERED loud and clear. We are overwhelmed with the tremendous community response. The total number of sock pairs collected for our VNA “Sox in the Box” donation collection was 3,410 pairs of socks. Yes, three thousand four hundred and ten beautiful, whimsical, uplifting, warm, and loving pairs of socks donated from various schools, patrons, churches, and community organizations in our local area. We are humbled and grateful to share this news and are especially thankful to the students and faculty who embraced this request at St Mary’s in Dunmore, LaSalle Academy in Jessup, parishioners from Queen of Angels in Jessup, Christ the King in Archbald and Eynon, Our Lady of Mt Carmel in Dunmore, Holy Cross in Olyphant and Sacred Heart in Peckville. There are so MANY WONDERFUL community members who donated to this great request and we have planned on sharing this sock bounty across Lackawanna County. Meals on Wheels will receive 2,000 pairs of socks. Therefore, each client will get 2 pairs of socks for Christmas and the rest will be distributed to local nursing homes and support agencies to brighten and uplift others this holiday season. This is a great introduction to the newly implemented, “VNA Smiles for Miles Project” which will begin for all VNA patients, families, and caregiver staff with recent funding provided by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. What a tremendous reflection of our community’s kindness and generosity! VNA Hospice and Home Health would like to wish you all good health and happiness this holiday season. May your hearts always be filled with love and kindness and your feet always be warm! United we stand, Onward and Upward we Achieve.
Marywood University Recognized as a Best Allied Health Professions Schools Marywood University is one of the 2021 Best Allied Health Professions Schools according to Health Care Degree Search. Allied health encompasses a broad group of health professionals who use scientific principles and evidence-based practice for the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of acute and chronic diseases, promote disease prevention and wellness for optimum health, and apply administration and management skills to support health care systems in a variety of settings. Marywood has earned a total of 6 different awards in this year’s rankings. Highlights includes #7 Best Allied Health Professions Schools in Pennsylvania; #9 Best Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services Master’s Degree Schools; #19 Best Allied Health Professions Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region; #26 Best Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services Schools; and #69 Best Allied Health Professions Schools. The determinants that Health Care Degree Search employed for their ranking methodology include outcome focus; majors and degree offerings; the amount of time for a student to graduate; ranking factors; post-graduation wages; educational resources and success; post-graduation debt, program demand; online options; and data systems, including integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), the College Scorecard, and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). For additional information about Marywood University’s College of Health and Human Services, please visit marywood.edu/hhs/index.html, or call the Office of Admissions, at (570) 348-6234. For additional information about Health Care Degree Search, please visit healthcaredegreesearch.com/colleges/marywood-university/media/ranking-college-quality-media-kit/.
Boback First Woman Appointed Chair of House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) has been appointed as the first woman chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee by Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) for the 2021-22 session. Boback was recently sworn into her eighth term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. “I am proud to be part of a team of strong legislative leaders who support our Commonwealth,” Boback said. “It is my honor to have Speaker Cutler’s and my fellow members’ continued trust and support with the chairmanship of this important standing committee.” The House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee oversees legislation concerning public safety, emergency planning and preparedness, 911 emergency telephone services, fire and emergency medical services response and training, PA National Guard and military/veterans issues, nuclear power plant safety and response programs, flood response and mitigation programs, hazardous material planning and response, emergency communication systems, and homeland security and safety programs and initiatives. “In the district, I have made veterans and their needs a priority,” Boback explained. “I have held veterans’ outreach in our offices, as well as organized mobile veterans counseling outreach.” Boback has held 13 annual veterans’ recognition events and expos. She is also an active member on the Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center Advisory Council. She has hosted several fire and EMS seminars to keep emergency responders in her district up to date on current emergency services laws and programs. In the upcoming legislative session, Boback is eager to work with her colleagues in the House and Senate, as well as all of the stakeholder organizations and state agencies which her committee oversees. For more information about this committee, or any other state-related issue, contact Boback’s Dallas district office at 570-675-6000 or her Tunkhannock office at 570-836-4777. Information can also be found on her website at Rep.Boback.com.
Johnson College Now Enrolling Students in OBDII Emissions Training Class Johnson College’s Continuing Education Program is currently enrolling students into its OBDII Emissions Training class. The class will be held in Weaver Hall on the Johnson College campus on Monday, Feb. 22 and Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and conclude with testing on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. Space is very limited to allow for social distancing. Face masks must be worn at all times while on campus. To learn more or enroll call 570-702-8979 or email continuinged@johnson.edu. The OBDII computer monitors a vehicle’s emission control systems in real-time and is capable of informing a motorist or technician of a systemic issue the moment it occurs. The system operates through a series of indicator lights, drive cycles, trouble codes and readiness monitors. During an inspection, an emission analyzer scan tool plugs into the diagnostic connector that is attached to the OBDII computer and communicates with the vehicle. The OBDII computer relays to the scan tool whether it has discovered errors in the emission control systems. The emission analyzer then determines whether the vehicle is being operated in compliance with emission standards. For more information visit https://johnson.edu/continuing-education/odbii-emissions-licensing/. The class fee of $180 is paid to Johnson College and a study material and testing fee of $39.99 is paid directly to the PA Training Portal. For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.
The Everhart Announces Upcoming Children’s Programs for Winter and Spring of 2021 The Everhart Museum announced today that registration is now open for the popular Everhart Minis and Junior as well as the newly created Creative Expression Lab. In partnership with Marywood University Art Therapy Department the Everhart Museum has created the Creative Expression Lab, inspiring kindergarten through sixth-grade artists to express creativity and imagination and explore social and emotional growth. Weekly themes will integrate social and emotional concepts such as empathy, respect, understanding of one’s emotions, and developing positive social interactions. The Creative Expression Lab is hosted by Dr. Ashley Hartman, Assistant Professor of Art Therapy, a board-credentialed art therapist (ATR-BC), and licensed professional counselor (LPC). Art therapists and students from Marywood University’s Art Therapy Program will develop and co-facilitate Studio Sessions. Creative Expression Studio Sessions will occur at the Everhart Museum on Saturday afternoons from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Winter Session runs from February 20th through April 3rd, and Spring Session from April 10th through May 22nd. Member pricing is $35, and non-members are $40. Everhart Minis and Everhart Juniors will Explore Printmaking. Everhart Mini students (grades kindergarten through fourth) will have the opportunity to explore the art of composition and stamps used in printmaking. Students will learn what is unique about the variety of printmaking processes. Together they will explore artwork around them, their influence on their own artwork, how personal preferences and life experiences influence art, and how they can learn from past artists and connect what they learn into each individual creation. Everhart Junior students will be exploring composition, collagraph printmaking, and fashionable art. They will learn various art techniques and better understand the cultural and historical context of each artwork they view. Sessions for both the Minis and Juniors are as follows: Winter Session Virtual Open Studio at 10:00 am each Saturday starting on February 13th through March 27th. Spring Sessions, which are hybrid, begin on Saturday, April 10th through Saturday, May 22nd.Spring Session classes are hybrid and will be offered as kits with a live virtual component to all registered students. Limited on-site class seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis once COVID restrictions are lifted for Spring Session ONLY. Kits are unique to the Everhart Museum and can be shipped (additional rates apply) outside of Lackawanna County. To subscribe to updates on classroom availability, contact assistant.programs@everhart-museum.org. Notifications will go out ahead of openings. “The programs offered this winter and spring have great potential to enrich arts learning at home,” said Stefanie Colarusso, Director of Programs. “The minis and juniors classes will provide students with the technical skills needed to create a work of art, and the expression lab is a safe space for all learners to express themselves through active arts learning.” Member pricing is $35, and non-members are $40 for both the Minis and Juniors. Kits are unique to the Everhart Museum and can be shipped outside of Lackawanna County. To Register for all programs, please visit “LEARN” on the Everhart Museums website at www.everhart-museum.org and click the link for member or non-member pricing.
PennDOT Driver License, Photo Centers Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg, will be closed Saturday, January 16, through Monday, January 18, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services, including all forms, publications and driver training manuals, online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website, www.dmv.pa.gov. Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services. A complete listing of PennDOT driver and photo license center closings in 2020 is available online. Motorists can check conditions on major roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website. Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.
Greater Scranton YMCA RESET Challenge Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired in these COVID-19 times? The Greater Scranton YMCA invites all in the community, Y members and non-members, to participate in a free six-week RESET challenge designed to help transform spirit, mind and body. “Now, more than ever before, we need to recharge and refocus,” said Trish Fisher, President & CEO, Greater Scranton YMCA. “The COVID-19 pandemic has worn us down. It’s isolated us in so many ways. This challenge provides an opportunity to get active and healthier by yourself or as a strong family.” Each week of the six-week challenge will feature a different theme, including reset, refresh, reconnect, replay, reinvest and restore. To keep each other accountable, participants will be assigned a team that is led by Y staff. All aspects of the challenge can be done virtually. The challenge begins February 1, 2021 and registration is currently open. To join, text RESET to 22454! In addition to the RESET challenge, the Greater Scranton YMCA will begin offering this month a new virtual wellness platform, BurnAlong. BurnAlong is provided exclusively to our members, providing on-demand group exercise, sports and play programs with Y instructors. The platform also includes access to 1000s of on-demand classes from instructors nation-wide, including classes in training, mindfulness, nutrition, stress management and more. To learn more about RESET and BurnAlong, visit www.greaterscrantonymca.org or call (570) 342-8115.
Truck Accident Lawyer Marion Munley Named to Board of Regents for National Trucking Safety Group Munley Law is pleased to announce that Marion Munley has been named to the Board of Regents for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA). The ATAA is a leading non-profit trucking safety advocate organization which counts more than 600 attorney and legal professional members across the United States. The ATAA is dedicated to promoting safety and accountability in the trucking industry by representing clients injured or killed in crashes involving tractor-trailers. Members of ATAA are also committed to the training, education and assistance of member lawyers who seek to learn how to better handle truck crash cases. Marion Munley has represented victims of commercial truck and tractor trailer crashes for more than 30 years. She is Triple Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial, Civil Practice, and Truck Law. Marion has earned an AV-Preeminent designation from Martindale-Hubbell, the industry’s highest ethical and client satisfaction rating. A leader in the legal community, Marion is an active member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and currently serves on the AAJ Board of Governors and on its Executive Committee. She was the first woman to become Chair of the AAJ Trucking Litigation Group in 2018 and is a past chair of the AAJ Women Trial Lawyers Caucus. Among her other professional affiliations are the American Board of Trial Advocates, the International Society of Barristers, and the Summit Council, an exclusive group of today’s top civil justice attorneys committed to the highest levels of trial advocacy, to obtaining justice for individuals and families who have been hurt by corporate wrongdoing, and to the protection of the civil justice system. In the course of her career, Marion Munley has received some of the highest honors alawyer can receive. She has been named to the Best Lawyers in America list by BestLawyers since 2012 and was selected as “Lawyer of the Year: Personal Injury – Plaintiffs”for the Allentown Metro Area in 2020, and “Lawyer of the Year: Medical Malpractice –Plaintiffs,” for the Allentown Metro Area in 2021. Marion has also been selected to the list ofPennsylvania Super Lawyers for the last 15 years and has been consistently recognized asone of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Pennsylvania by Super Lawyers Magazine.
McNees Wallace & Nurick launches Apollo Communications McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC has launched a new public relations agency to provide strategic communications services to its clients and the regional business community. Apollo Communications is headquartered in Harrisburg and will serve clients across Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland. McNees has selected veteran public relations professional and former journalist Brett Marcy to serve as president of Apollo Communications. The company is just the latest initiative by McNees to provide enhanced value to clients and the community, said McNees Chair Brian Jackson. In recent years, the firm has added full-service government affairs, grassroots advocacy and nonprofit consulting to its professional services portfolio. “At McNees, we practice a clients first philosophy, and that means surrounding our clients with all the support and resources we have available to help them meet their goals,” Jackson said. “With Brett’s diverse set of skills and experience as its foundation, Apollo Communications offers clients the expertise of a large agency with the personal touch of a boutique firm.” Apollo is a full-service strategic communications firm that specializes in building and enhancing brands and reputations, crisis and issue management, media relations and content marketing. “Apollo Communications is solution-focused, results-driven firm,” Marcy said. “We develop innovative strategies to help our clients meet their goals.” Marcy, 45, of Mechanicsburg, brings more than two decades of experience in public relations, strategic communications and journalism. He was most recently senior director of public relations and communications for York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health. He had previously held communications director and press secretary roles at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Prior to that, Marcy served as associate vice president at a Philadelphia-based advertising and public relations agency. Marcy earned his bachelor’s degree in communications, with an emphasis in journalism, from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. Prior to his public relations career, he spent several years as a reporter, working at news organizations in the Lehigh Valley, Northeastern Pennsylvania and Harrisburg. Both his journalism and PR experiences are at the heart of Apollo Communications, Marcy said. “We believe in the combined power of storytelling and strategy,” he said. “As brand advocates for our clients, we leverage both disciplines to build, enhance and protect their reputation.”
Progressive Care Unit Opens at Geisinger Community Medical Center A new Progressive Care Unit (PCU) featuring private rooms and a modern, evidence-based design is now open at Geisinger Community Medical Center and specializes in caring for the complex needs of trauma, medical and surgical patients. Located on the hospital’s fourth floor, directly above the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the PCU houses 18 private rooms and nursing alcoves that allow direct visual oversight of patient rooms through large glass windows. The care model decentralizes nursing stations to improve surveillance of each patient and enhances the care team’s communication with patient families, giving family members closer access to nursing staff. “The nursing model used in the new PCU allows for improved monitoring of critically ill patients from the nurses’ station that extends around the entire unit,” said Glenna Barletta, nursing operations manager at Geisinger Community Medical Center. “Nursing alcoves are located outside each room to ensure the care team is always close by.” Development of the PCU is part of a $16 million project that also begins the hospital’s approach to a private-bed model. Designed to improve patient experience, quality of care and efficiency of operation, the unit’s spacious, state-of-the-art, private rooms meet the need to care for critically ill patients. “We know the benefits of the private-room model on clinical quality and patient experience are well-studied and indisputable,” said Ujwal Tuladhar, M.D., hospitalist at Geisinger Community Medical Center. “They include reduced risk of hospital-acquired infection, reduced patient stress levels due to improved privacy and reduction of unwanted noise, and better facilitation of care. Private rooms cater to patient comfort, better rest and more room for caregivers and loved ones.” The PCU’s private rooms are larger than the semi-private rooms of the previous step-down unit with enough space to accommodate critical care technology, allowing the care team to treat higher-acuity patients, such as ventilator patients who require medications that elevate blood pressure. “The room size allows for more sophisticated equipment to fit into the space and provides our care team with greater ability to move around the patient to deliver care,” Barletta said. “This allows us to broaden the criteria of patients the unit can accept.” The PCU has two waiting rooms — a quiet room and another with a television — and features multiple family meeting rooms, a wellness room with massage chairs, and two bariatric patient rooms with showers. To get to the PCU from the main lobby at Geisinger Community Medical Center, take the C elevators to level 4, then take a right off the elevator and follow signs to the PCU.
