Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Psychiatry Residency Presenting at Conference Dr. Erica SchmidtDr. Angelina SinghDr. Sanjay ChandragiriDr. Nathan HoffDr. Bilal Khan Two scholarly research teams at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education have had their abstracts accepted for presentation at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Drs. Angelina Singh and Erica Schmidt, resident physicians in the four-year psychiatry residency, and Dr. Sanjay Chandragiri, program director of the psychiatry residency and a psychiatrist at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Scranton Practice, co-authored the scholarly paper, “Catatonia Presenting as Major Depressive Disorder with Psychotic Features: The Case for Increasing the Use of the Lorazepam Challenge.” The team’s case report demonstrates the importance and challenges of recognizing and treating catatonia, such as schizophrenia, in severely depressed patients with psychotic features, including delusions, hallucinations and paranoia. Drs. Bilal Khan and Nathan Hoff , resident physicians in the psychiatry residency, co-authored the paper, “Serotonin Syndrome in a 50-Year-Old Female,” with Bretty Aziz, a fourth-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and Chandragiri. The case report illustrates the potential for severe side effects that may result from interactions between multiple serotonergic agents in patients with serotonin syndrome. The American Psychiatric Association was founded in 1844. It is the oldest medical association in the United States and the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 37,400 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. The annual meeting in May, with the theme, “Social Determinants of Mental Health,” is the largest conference in the world for psychiatrists and mental health professionals. For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health, call 570-343-2383 or go to TheWrightCenter.org.
Stronghold Group Supports The Wright Center with Monetary, PPE Donations Participating in the ceremonial check presentation, from left, are Sean Niquette, co-founder and chief financial officer, Stronghold Group; Dave Henderson, co-founder and CEO, Stronghold Group; William Waters, co-chairperson, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement; Laurie LaMaster; and Kara Seitzinger, director of public affairs/advisor liaison to the president and CEO, The Wright Center. The Stronghold Group continued its support of regional health care workers who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic by donating 5,000 pieces of personal protection equipment (PPE) and a $5,000 check to The Wright Centers for Community Health and Patient & Community Engagement. A veteran-owned business that specializes in medical equipment, the Stronghold Group donated 20 cases of disposable 3-ply surgical masks and 80 cases of medical gowns to protect clinicians at The Wright Center for Community Health’s eight primary care practices in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties. Stronghold’s financial support will be used to purchase fresh produce and canned goods for the most marginalized in our community who need it most. “Worrying about having enough to eat should be the last thing on someone’s mind when they’re already worried about their health and finances,” said Laurie LaMaster, associate vice president of development and Patient & Community Engagement at The Wright Center. “We know the winter months bring higher heating bills, which further strain household budgets. Too often people are forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families. That’s why we are incredibly grateful for the support of the Stronghold Group. Not only are they keeping our health care heroes safe on the frontlines, they’re putting food on the table of the most vulnerable in our community.” For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health, please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-343-2383.
Wright Center’s Dr. Eisenberg Named Senior Advisor at the Center for Healthcare Innovation Dr. David Eisenberg, the deputy chief medical officer for value-based care, health informatics and operational sustainability at The Wright Center for Community Health, has been named a senior advisor by the Center for Healthcare Innovation. The Center for Healthcare Innovation is a nonprofit research and educational institute based in Chicago, Illinois, that brings diverse global leaders together to work on improving health care for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, gender, race, ethnicity or other social determinants. Its members include health care providers, executives, caregivers, authors, entrepreneurs, researchers and more who work collaboratively on the common goal of reducing health disparities. At The Wright Center, he leads value-based care contracts across four major payers and three Medicaid managed care organizations for primary and behavioral health service lines; collaborates with executive leadership on business development and sustainability, and engages in cross-functional initiatives that drive integration and alignment to improve operational and financial performance. Eisenberg earned his Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh and his Doctor of Medicine from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. He served an internship in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Psychiatry Residency and is a candidate for his Master of Management in clinical informatics from Duke University. In addition, Eisenberg has clinical and administrative experience in developing and implementing interoperability workflows across multiple disciplines of health care. Overall, the Center for Healthcare Innovation advocates for those who are vulnerable, at-risk and underserved by developing collaborative relationships that make health care more equitable for all patients; increases understanding and metrics of health equity; produces impactful research on trends and challenges to health equity; analyzes and disseminates best practices for reducing disparities, and develops ideas for policymakers that work to eliminate obstacles to care and reducing health disparities. It accomplishes its objectives by hosting educational events for global health care innovators, conducting independent research, and advising leaders and teams on how to solve strategic health care and health equity challenges in the industry. For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health, please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-343-2383.
Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Scholars’ Research Accepted at Health Resources & Services Administration Conference Ronakkumar PatelEdward DzielakNirali PatelJumee BarooahLinda Thomas-Hemak The federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has accepted a scholarly research abstract from The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education for presentation at its highly competitive national conference in April. Dr. Nirali Patel, a board-certified internal medicine and board-eligible geriatrics physician and associate program director of the Geriatrics Fellowship and core faculty for internal medicine, will present the paper, “Value Impact of a Community-Based, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-Accredited Geriatrics Fellowship Immersion in an Essential Community Provider’s COVID-19 Response.” She co-authored the abstract with Drs. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO; Jumee Barooah, designated institutional official, Edward Dzielak, a geriatrics and internal medicine physician and program director of the Geriatrics Fellowship, and Ronakkumar Patel, a resident physician in the internal medicine program. The abstract, one of 72 accepted for presentation, illustrates how HRSA’s investment in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Geriatrics Fellowship led to the successful training of its first graduating class during the height of the pandemic. Fellows acted as a key pandemic workforce, offering safely managed and supervised in-person clinic, home-based and telehealth visits for geriatric patients. In addition, fellows also engaged in deployment of The Wright Center for Community Health’s 34-foot mobile medical unit, Driving Better Health, to deliver primary health services, as well as COVID-19 testing, monoclonal antibody infusions and vaccinations at senior living facilities. Along with primary care residents, geriatric fellows formed a vital workforce for the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Education Support and Clinical Coaching Program that provided support to personal care, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. HRSA’s abstract review committee chose the research article for its Bureau of Health Workforce Virtual All Grantee and Stakeholder Meeting. The focus of the meeting is for participants to learn from grantees and trainees about programs, ideas and research that can improve the health workforce. Overall, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has had 75 scholarly abstracts, written on a wide array of topics in medicine, accepted for presentation at professional conferences since the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year. The fellowship in geriatrics is a one-year program that emphasizes quality of care and a deep understanding of socioeconomic determinants of health for older patients that face the unique health challenges that come with aging. For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to thewrightcenter.org or call 570-343-2383.
Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Scholars Present Cardiovascular Research at International Conference Dr. Muhammad PirDr. Najam Saqib Dr. Hamza HanifDr. Muhammad Affan A team of cardiovascular disease fellows and internal medicine residents at the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education recently presented their scholarly research, “Comparison of Radial vs. Femoral Arterial Access for Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” at an international conference in Orlando, Florida. The Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference, an annual scientific symposium, is the world’s foremost educational forum that specializes in interventional cardiovascular medicine. It features major medical research breakthroughs and leading researchers and clinicians from around the world presenting and discussing the latest evidence-based research. Drs. Muhammad Pir and Najam Saqib, cardiovascular fellows, and Drs. Hamza Hanif and Muhammad Affan, internal medicine residents, co-authored the research presentation. It involved the review of 14 studies and 12,272 patients to assess existing literature on radial versus femoral arterial access for complex percutaneous coronary intervention. Radial access was associated with a significantly lower rate of major bleeding, but the work discovered that overall procedural success was superior when utilizing the femoral artery. The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education features three fellowships: Cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology and geriatrics. Over three years, the cardiovascular disease fellowship trains fellows in community-based settings with globally and nationally recognized, board-certified cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. Fellows also hone the knowledge and skills needed to provide state-of-the-art cardiac care, while advancing the specialty field through their own scholarly research and practice. Overall, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has had 75 scholarly abstracts, written on a wide array of topics in medicine, accepted for presentation at professional conferences since the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year. For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to thewrightcenter.org or call 570-343-2383.
Wright Center’s Chief Fellow Publishes 100th Scholarly Article The chief fellow for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Gastroenterology Fellowship recently published the 100th scholarly article during his fellowship, “Scope of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Gastrointestinal Oncology,” in Cancers, a peer-reviewed journal of oncology that is published semimonthly. Dr. Hemant Goyal, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, was invited to review literature that addressed the most current information available about the role of AI in diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, which cause more than 2.8 million deaths annually worldwide. He and his co-authors labeled the advancements and use of AI in endoscopic procedures as a “significant breakthrough in modern medicine.” The diagnostic accuracy of AI systems has markedly improved in screening, diagnosing and treating various cancers by accurately analyzing diagnostic clinical images, but it needs additional collaboration among physicians. Overall, he has published more than 175 peer-reviewed articles in various national and international scientific journals. Goyal’s research, “Taste Changes (Dysgeusia) in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis,” appeared in the Gastroenterology, the No. 1 scientific journal in the field of gastroenterology. It was the first published meta-analysis that highlighted taste changes as one of COVID-19’s symptoms. Goyal also published, “Hyperlipasemia and Potential Pancreatic Injury Pattern in COVID-19: A Marker of Severity or Innocent Bystander,” in the Gastroenterology. The research highlighted the importance of elevation in lipase levels, which help the human body digest fats, in patients with COVID-19. The International Journal of Colorectal Diseases included his scholarly research article, “Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Hospitalization Trends and Gender Disparities in the United State 2010-14.” It showed that white females between 41-50 years of age with colorectal cancer have higher hospitalization rates. The abstract earned first place at the 2019 Pennsylvania Society of Gastroenterology meeting. Goyal, a gastroenterologist-in-training and doctor of internal medicine, accepts adult patients at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn, for treatment of Hepatitis C. The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Institutional Review Board-approves research studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Overall, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has had 75 scholarly abstracts written on a wide array of topics in medicine accepted for presentation at professional conferences since the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year. For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to www.thewrightcenter.org or call 570-343-2383.
State Funding Enables Wright Center to Expand COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts The Wright Center for Community Health recently was awarded $75,000 in state funding to encourage hesitant residents in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The new grant funding is part of the state’s $2.5 million COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Program that supports grassroots efforts to reduce vaccine hesitancy across the commonwealth. The program, administered by the state Department of Community and Economic Development, builds upon the ongoing statewide public health awareness campaign, PA United Against COVID-19. “The Wright Center is extremely grateful for the complete support the state has exhibited in providing us the necessary tools to get as many COVID-19 shots into the arms of our patients,” said Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, chief medical officer of The Wright Center for Community Health. “The COVID-19 vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. medical history. “Vaccinations are an effective way to protect yourself, your loved ones and others in the community and reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization or long-term complications.” The state funding supports efforts by nonprofit organizations, and child care and educational institutions to communicate the efficacy and importance of vaccinations through local media advertisements, and creation of training materials, vaccine-related community events and more. “The Department of Health remains committed to eliminating obstacles and challenges that prevent Pennsylvanians from getting vaccinated,” Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said in a press release announcing the 65 grant recipients. “I am impressed by the tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians who are stepping up every day to get their first, second or third dose of vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors against COVID-19. With the grant funding, The Wright Center for Community Health will build upon its existing Driving Better Health program in the Hazleton area that delivers COVID-19 vaccines to members of the Hispanic community with the 34-foot mobile medical unit. The collaborative program involves the Hazleton Integration Project, Hazleton Area School District and community leaders reaching vulnerable, underserved populations in southern Luzerne County. The Wright Center also will build vaccine confidence through outreach and community engagement that overcomes structural, behavioral and informational barriers, including education, rural residency that limits access to health care, people who speak limited English, individuals with low incomes and other under-resourced communities. The mobile medical unit enables clinical staff to establish community clinics and see patients where they live and work thanks to community collaborations that include schools, rural partners, community organizations and ethnic groups. The grant will enable The Wright Center for Community Health’s Driving Better Health to conduct up to 36 outreach events in the coverage area over 12 months. For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health, call 570.343.2383 or go to TheWrightCenter.org.
The Wright Center to Deploy CDC-Funded ‘Community Vaccine Ambassadors’ The Wright Center for Community Health has been selected as one of 15 health centers across the nation to participate in a grant-funded Community Vaccine Ambassador Project, aimed at increasing COVID-19 immunizations among groups that historically have been marginalized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will fund the initiative, which involves health centers in 12 states. The project is being conducted in partnership with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and the National Association of Community Health Centers. The Wright Center will receive $200,000 in grant funding to focus on administering vaccines to individuals with substance use disorders and individuals who experience homelessness. These populations have been identified as being at increased risk for COVID-19 infection because, among other reasons, they “experience barriers to accessing health care and might have low levels of trust in the medical system due to previous experiences of trauma or stigma,” according to the project’s organizers. The Wright Center’s community health workers and certified recovery specialists will serve as project “ambassadors,” providing vaccination education and information over the year-long project to people in the organization’s five-county service area in Northeast Pennsylvania. Since December 2020, when the new COVID-19 vaccines first became available, The Wright Center has administered more than 40,500 vaccine doses. The federal Health Resources and Services Administration earlier this year presented a 2021 Community Health Quality Recognition award to The Wright Center, recognizing the nonprofit organization’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts in response to the public health crisis. The Wright Center, which serves as one of about 50 Pennsylvania-designated Opioid Use Disorder Centers of Excellence, has significant experience in treating and supporting individuals who are coping with substance use disorder. It has assisted individuals living in recovery who have been involved in the criminal justice system, and it co-founded the region’s Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support (MOMS) program, which assists pregnant and new mothers who have a substance use disorder. For more information about The Wright Center for Community Health, call 570.343.2383 or go to TheWrightCenter.org.
The Wright Center Appoints Infusion Therapy Nurse The Wright Center for Community Health recently appointed Cyndi Colman, a registered nurse, as an infusion therapy nurse at its Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn to improve the health and welfare of the community. A Clarks Summit resident, Colman’s role will support physicians to carry out a variety of treatments and procedures in nursing care, including COVID-19 positive patients. Colman will assist in assuring effective and efficient coordination of nursing activities within the Scranton Practice by preparing, administering and managing infusion therapy of monoclonal antibody therapy in an outpatient infusion suite. “As an infusion therapy clinician, I always keep in mind that our patients are the reason I do what I do,” said Colman, who has 40 years of experience in the nursing field. “I am grateful to have the qualifications to provide this needed service and have no doubt that our efforts will have a positive impact toward the care of our patients and in our clinics.” The Wright Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike. All patients are provided access to health care regardless of their ability to pay. People who are not insured or lack adequate coverage might be eligible for the sliding fee discount program, which allows The Wright Center to reduce fees for eligible patients, depending on household income and family size. Visit thewrightcenter.org/sliding-fee-scale for more information. A comprehensive medical home to more than 30,000 patients, The Wright Center provides services at eight primary care practices to patients primarily from Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties. To make an appointment, call 570-941-0630 or go to thewrightcenter.org.
The Wright Center Announces Plan to Add Psychiatry Residents The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has approved the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s application to add an additional three resident physicians to the psychiatry residency. To meet the growing national demand for psychiatric care, the current workforce of about 45,580 psychiatrists must increase by 2,800 behavioral specialists by 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Today’s estimated 6.4% shortage of psychiatrists is expected to nearly double to 12% by 2025. “As demand grows, workforce shortages during the pandemic have exacerbated our nation’s health crisis,” said Dr. Sanjay Chandragiri, program director of the Psychiatry Residency. “The ability to expand our psychiatry team will help us provide patients with the care and treatment they deserve and expect from The Wright Center.” ACGME is the body responsible for accrediting all graduate medical training programs for physicians in the United States. The growth of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Psychiatry Residency enables 25 resident physicians to serve the region at eight community practices in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties, while also replenishing the nation’s health care workforce in this specialty field. The additional residents will join The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Psychiatry Residency in July. For more information about behavioral health services or to make an appointment at The Wright Center for Community Health, please go to thewrightcenter.org or call 570-941-0630.
