The Wright Center Names Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Erin McFadden, a board-certified internal medicine physician and medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice, has been named deputy chief medical officer of The Wright Center for Community Health. In her new role, Dr. McFadden will oversee various critical administrative duties to deliver high-quality primary and preventive care services to patients of all ages, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. She will also lead training initiatives and various educational and professional development opportunities for resident and fellow physicians, providers, and support staff. As medical director of the Scranton practice, Dr. McFadden will continue serving as the clinical leader for all ambulatory health and primary care services and provide clinical oversight and direction to all support services, including nursing, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, and related functional areas. She will also serve as medical director for The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Counseling Center location and other clinics as needed. Dr. McFadden received her undergraduate degree from the University of Scranton and her medical degree at Temple University School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency training at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. Dr. McFadden began working for The Wright Center in 2020 and has been the medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice since 2021. In addition to providing patient care, Dr. McFadden will continue serving as the dean of undergraduate medical and interprofessional education and as a core faculty member for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine Residency. Dr. McFadden is also involved in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Geriatric Fellowship program. In addition, she plays an integral role in developing the lifestyle medicine curriculum and serves as co-regional director of medical education for A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine – Arizona (ATSU-SOMA). The Wright Center for Community Health operates 10 primary and preventive care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania, including a mobile medical and dental unit. For more information about the primary and preventive care services provided by The Wright Center for Community Health or for the nearest location, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
Two Wright Center Locations Earn National Recognition Two of The Wright Center for Community Health’s primary and preventive care practices recently received commendations from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave., and The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave., each achieved the NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home certificate of recognition, acknowledging that they have the tools, systems, and resources to provide patients with the right care at the right time. Both practices initially earned the NCQA voluntary accreditation in 2021. Every year, the practice locations undergo a formal review to ensure they comply with the Washington, D.C.-based organization’s high standards. For the public, the NCQA accreditation is a signal that The Wright Center for Community Health maintains a focus on quality improvement and has key processes in place so that its clinics are prioritizing the needs of patients by following the patient-centered medical home model of care. The model is designed to allow patients and their care teams to build better relationships, help patients to more effectively control chronic conditions, and improve the overall patient experience. In addition, the patient-centered medical home model has been shown to increase staff satisfaction and reduce health care costs. “We are proud to retain this recognition seal for both practices, which is a reflection of the dedicated work being done by The Wright Center’s employees to use our information technology and team-based delivery system so we can coordinate care and get the best results possible for patients,” said Dr. Jignesh Y. Sheth, chief medical officer of The Wright Center for Community Health. “The NCQA seal lets people know these practices will be open outside traditional business hours to meet their primary care needs and that we do all we can to put our patients at the forefront of care.” The NCQA was founded in 1990 with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It seeks to improve health care quality through measurement, transparency, and accountability. The Wright Center’s Mid Valley and Clarks Summit practices also maintain the NCQA’s respected recognition seal, undergoing annual renewals. Overall, The Wright Center operates 10 primary and preventive care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania, including a mobile medical and dental vehicle called Driving Better Health. Its practices offer integrated whole-person care, meaning patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. The Wright Center accepts most major health insurance plans, including Medical Assistance (Medicaid), Medicare, and CHIP. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay. To learn more about The Wright Center for Community Health’s primary and preventive care services, call 570-230-0019 or visit TheWrightCenter.org.
The Wright Center and Wayne County Commissioners Collaborate on Hunger-Fighting Initiative The Wayne County commissioners and The Wright Center for Community Health have teamed to expand access in two rural locations to free, nutritious food for individuals and families facing food insecurity and hunger. The county’s Food Pantry Program recently began supplying nonperishable items to two of The Wright Center’s primary and preventive care clinics: Hawley and North Pocono. Clinic employees will hand out the county-provided food boxes – each containing about 25 pounds of shelf-stable items such as soups, pasta, canned vegetables, tuna, and chicken – to patients who disclose on intake forms that they are in need. In addition, the clinics will periodically promote and hold larger-scale distribution events, called pop-up food pantries, during which boxes will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis to patients and members of the broader community. The next pop-up food pantry at the Hawley Practice, 103 Spruce St., is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25. Volunteers from The Wright Center will coordinate the event and dole out the boxes. For more information about The Wright Center’s pop-up food pantries, contact Holly Przasnyski, director of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, at przasnyskih@TheWrightCenter.org, or call 570-209-3275. Wayne County residents who utilize The Wright Center for Community Health North Pocono Practice, 260 Daleville Highway, Suite 103, Covington Township, are also eligible to receive county-provided food boxes. “We are so appreciative of commissioners Brian Smith, Jocelyn Cramer, and James Shook for seeing the value in using our Wright Center practices as distribution sites and for generously contributing via the county’s Food Pantry Program to enable us to provide this service to vulnerable individuals and their families,” said Holly Przasnyski, director of The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement. The Wright Center’s hunger-fighting initiative in Wayne County supplements the county’s existing Food Pantry Program, sponsored by the county government and coordinated by private citizens. The program distributes U.S. Department of Agriculture items and private food donations each month at five sites. “It is important to use funds wisely and target the need as best we can,” said Commissioner Cramer. “We are grateful that the Wright Center can help identify those that need this assistance and help them. No one with food insecurities can overcome health challenges, financial challenges, and employment challenges. We are grateful to the Wright Center for this extra support.” Through the new arrangement, The Wright Center will be able to offer extra support and convenience to families who are struggling to afford quality foods for their tables, Przasnyski said. She said that food assistance requests from under-resourced individuals, including senior citizens, have risen locally and nationally since May when the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ended. Experts attribute the increased demand for food banks and related charitable programs to the federal government’s rollback of certain pandemic-era health and food benefits, such as emergency allotments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). About one out of every 20 households receiving SNAP benefits experienced food insufficiency after this year’s discontinuation of emergency allotments, according to a study released in August by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Elsewhere, researchers have previously done studies linking food insufficiency with poor health outcomes, identifying it as a potential contributor to chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. These and other health impacts that people experience due to certain social and economic conditions are a prime focus of Przasnyski and others involved with The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, known as PCE. As a subsidiary of the nonprofit health center, PCE strives to help people in Northeast Pennsylvania overcome food insecurity and other non-medical issues that can affect their ability to focus on achieving and maintaining their maximum wellness. Those issues commonly include transportation barriers, lack of access to educational opportunities, homelessness, and poverty. In rural Wayne County, where transportation and other quality-of-life issues require broad-based solutions, county government leaders have for more than a decade been working in collaboration with residents to strengthen the county’s human services safety net and support a prosperous community. They created Wayne Tomorrow!, a planning initiative to guide the county’s development. The commissioners have encouraged The Wright Center’s involvement in Wayne Tomorrow!, welcoming input on task forces that address issues of mutual concern, such as how to assist residents who face transportation hurdles and how to implement solutions to the affordable housing crunch, Przasnyski said. “The Wayne County commissioners are very active in trying to address the needs of the county’s residents, including those who are economically disadvantaged,” said Przasnyski, a Wayne County resident. “Many of the things they are doing align with The Wright Center’s mission, so we are glad to partner with them on initiatives to improve the health and well-being of the population.” For information about The Wright Center for Community Health’s primary and preventive care services and locations, visit TheWrightCenter.org.
The Wright Center Receives Grant from Robert H. Spitz Foundation The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE) was recently awarded an $8,000 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation to help patients and community members alleviate financial pressures, which can help improve the overall health and well-being of regional communities. The grant will support a food donation program and transportation assistance to and from doctor appointments. Requests for help have increased sharply over the past few years. In 2021, The Wright Center for Community Health received 201 requests for help with food from community members in Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wayne counties. In 2022, those appeals rose to 743. Through May 2023, the organization has received 426 requests for food. The Wright Center received 2,156 requests for transportation help in 2022. Through May 2023, 1,351 community members have asked PCE for assistance. “Food and transportation insecurities make it hard for the patients to address their medical needs,” said Holly Przasnyski, director, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement. “This grant provides us with the ability to address transportation and food needs for our patients, which allows them the ability to address their medical needs.” The Robert H. Spitz Foundation awards grants to registered nonprofit organizations that support initiatives and programs serving Lackawanna County and Northeast Pennsylvania. Among the foundation’s five priority areas are programs that break the cycle of poverty, veterans’ affairs and veteran-oriented programs, animal welfare, Jewish culture and cemeteries, and environmental projects. To date, the Robert H. Spitz Foundation has provided over $3.7 million in funding to the community. For more information about PCE, call 570-343-2383, Ext. 1444 or visit TheWrightCenter.org/ patient-and-community-engagement.
Wright Center Dr. Receives Ann Preston Women in Medicine Award The Pennsylvania Eastern Region Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) has presented Dr. Erin McFadden, a board-certified internal medicine physician, deputy chief medical officer of The Wright Center for Community Health, and the medical director of The Wright Center’s Scranton Practice, with the Dr. Ann Preston Women in Medicine Award. Recognized as the world’s largest medical-specialty society, the ACP honored Dr. McFadden as part of its efforts to “recognize excellence and distinguished contributions to internal medicine.” Dr. McFadden accepted the award at the ACP’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in November. Dr. McFadden joined The Wright Center on Jan. 1, 2020, after earning her medical degree at Temple University School of Medicine and completing her internal medicine residency training at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. She also serves as the dean of undergraduate medical and interprofessional education and is a core faculty member for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine Residency. Dr. McFadden is also involved in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Geriatric Fellowship program. In addition, she plays an integral role in developing the lifestyle medicine curriculum and serves as co-regional director of medical education for A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Mesa, Arizona. As the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Dr. McFadden led an educational support and clinical coaching program with the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Penn State University, Temple University, Geisinger, and Allegheny Health Network to assist more than 400 personal care, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities in Northeast Pennsylvania with pandemic care. She also led an outpatient infusion center at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice, providing monoclonal antibody treatment for patients with severe COVID-19. To watch her speak about her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit bit.ly/3MHVtR7. The Women in Medicine Award was first awarded in 2019. It recognizes an ACP chapter member whose outstanding efforts and achievements have promoted career success, leadership, and overall quality of life for women in medicine, fostering tomorrow’s women leaders in medicine, according to the ACP. The award is named after medical pioneer Dr. Ann Preston, a lifelong Philadelphia resident in the first class of women who enrolled in the Female (later Women’s) Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1850. After the Board of Censors of the Philadelphia Medical Society effectively banned women physicians from the public teaching clinics of the city, she raised funds to start a new hospital where teaching could occur and opened The Women’s Hospital in 1858. She later created a nursing school and was named the first woman dean of the Women’s Medical College in 1866. The Wright Center for Community Health operates 10 primary and preventive care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania, including a mobile medical and dental unit. It treats individuals of all income levels and insurance statuses, including the underinsured and uninsured. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay. For more information about the primary and preventive care services provided by The Wright Center for Community Health or the nearest location, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
The Wright Center Welcomes Dr. Pannu Dr. Ajit Pannu, a family medicine physician, has joined The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice, where he is accepting new patients of all ages. Dr. Pannu will also serve as associate program director and physician faculty in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Regional Family Medicine Residency. He is a 2023 alumnus of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Regional Family Medicine Residency program. He had been its chief resident for resident advocacy, traveling to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., to speak at various legislative meetings on behalf of his peers and the nation’s network of community health centers. Dr. Pannu earned his medical degree from the Aureus University School of Medicine, Oranjestad, Aruba, where he served for as vice president of its student body government. He completed his medical school clinical rotations in Atlanta, Georgia. Formerly of Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Pannu was a volunteer coach for the Vancouver Thunderbirds ice hockey program as well as a volunteer during the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games. He is fluent in English and Punjabi and can also communicate in French and Hindi. The Wright Center for Community Health operates 10 primary and preventive care practices in Northeast Pennsylvania. It treats individuals of all income levels and insurance statuses, including the underinsured and uninsured. No patient is turned away due to an inability to pay. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Pannu at the Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave., go to TheWrightCenter.org to use the express online scheduling system or call 570.230-0019.
The Wright Center Announces Flu Shot Reminder As the thick of the holiday season, one of the happiest, most festive times of the year approaches, so does peak flu season. The last few years have been dominated by COVID-19, which, though not nearly the public health threat it once was, continues to spread throughout the population via its newest strain. Couple that with the flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and you have an unholy triumvirate of respiratory illnesses capable of wreaking significant havoc and ruining your yuletide cheer. Thankfully, there are vaccines to keep these viruses at bay. They’re safe and effective and can save you and your loved ones from getting sick or worse. National Influenza Vaccination Week, takes place next week, Dec. 4-8. Coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the annual observance serves as a helpful reminder to people that there’s still time to get a flu shot this season. This year’s slogan is the highly appropriate “A flu vaccine can take flu from wild to mild.” Typically, flu season begins around late September or early October (the ideal time to get vaccinated), then increasingly accelerates until it peaks between December and February. In some years, infections may occur as late as May. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from the flu – and lessen its effects if you do contract it – is to get the annual flu shot, which is available to anyone ages 6 months and older. CDC studies have shown that flu vaccination reduces the risk of contracting the illness by 40 to 60 percent among the general public. Flu symptoms typically surface within a couple of days, and the virus shares many of the same effects as COVID-19, among them fever, chills, dry cough, body aches, headaches, stuffy/runny nose, shortness of breath, and fatigue. For specific vulnerable populations, vaccination is essential given their risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and even death. That list includes pregnant women, young children, adults ages 65 and older, and those with serious health conditions like cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, asthma, and kidney disease. In the case of kids, thousands are hospitalized every year with severe flu, according to the CDC. The Wright Center will now provide flu vaccinations at all Northeast Pennsylvania locations. To schedule an office visit that includes vaccination, call 570-230-0019 or go online to use the express scheduling system at TheWrightCenter.org. Meanwhile, many local pharmacies offer free flu shots to insured customers, and numerous local employers provide flu vaccinations as a free service to their workers. According to the CDC, all flu vaccines available in the U.S. this season are the quadrivalent variety, designed to protect against four different flu viruses. You want the holidays to be as joyous as possible without the threat of illness upending your plans. So, get the flu vaccine – it’s safe, effective, and one of the best gifts you can give yourself and others this season. Joshua Braddell, DNP, CRNP, FNP-C, a board-certified registered nurse practitioner, serves as medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley practice.
Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Department Toy Drive Benefits The Wright Center Lackawanna County Sheriff’s deputies will ensure local children have a great holiday season by hosting a toy drive benefiting The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE). Deputies are asking the public to help fill the department’s transport van with new, unwrapped toys on Dec. 2-4 during the Lackawanna Winter Market on Courthouse Square, 200 N. Washington Ave., Scranton. The outdoor market will feature craft vendors, live music, food, and the lighting of the county’s Christmas tree. The drive benefits PCE, a subsidiary of The Wright Center for Community Health, that focuses on improving the health and well-being of residents across Northeast Pennsylvania. Throughout the year, PCE hosts food giveaways at their clinics and provides transportation vouchers to patients who have trouble getting to and from doctors’ appointments. Additionally, PCE distributes backpacks filled with school supplies and hosts school uniform giveaways and clothing closets for needy residents. Last year, sheriff’s deputies held a food drive for PCE, according to Cpl. Joe George. They collected and donated more than 12 cases of nonperishable food. They hope to build on that success with the upcoming toy drive. The Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Association and Sheriff Mark McAndrew have donated $250 each to purchase toys for the drive. “There are a lot of people in Lackawanna County who need a helping hand, and we want to ensure families – especially their children – have a happy holiday season,” he said. Gerri McAndrew, co-director of PCE, also mentioned the deep need in the community, especially during the holidays. “Last year, we helped 60 families at our clinics with toys and clothes, plus we adopt families through the Salvation Army,” she said, adding that PCE serves about 900 children annually. “This drive will enable us to help more families.” While collecting toys for children might not seem as urgent as some other PCE initiatives, McAndrew thinks about her own kids and how they feel at Christmas. “I don’t want any child’s heart to break on Christmas morning,” she said. “They should get at least one present.” Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be accepted by deputies throughout the county’s Winter Market on Friday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Look for sheriff’s deputies and their transport van near the main entrance to the Lackawanna County Courthouse. For more information on how to donate, contact Deputy Morgan Holmes at holmesm@lackawannacounty.org or 570.963-6719 x 4857. For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org.
The Wright Center Receives Donation from Dunkin Franchisee Group To help area children and families in need, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement (PCE) was recently presented with a $2,500 donation from a regional Dunkin’ franchisee group and a matching gift from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. The $5,000 contribution will be reinvested in the community through PCE’s activities, such as school backpack giveaways, winter clothing and blanket giveaways, free food distributions, and other special mission-driven projects. The Lufrankton Network, a franchisee group that operates stores in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, chose PCE to receive charitable funding made available during its recent “Renovation Celebration” to highlight the makeover of its Dunkin’ location in Eynon. The foundation generously doubled the gift because its mission – “to provide the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness” – is reflected in many of PCE’s initiatives to assist children in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and nearby counties. “We are grateful for this amazing support from Dunkin’,” said PCE Director Holly Przasnyski. “For its ongoing operation, the nonprofit PCE relies on external funding such as donations and fundraising. So, if it wasn’t for the kindness of civic-minded businesses like Dunkin’, we would not be able to conduct our events that help feed, clothe, and otherwise support the under-resourced children and their families in the communities we serve.” PCE is a subsidiary of The Wright Center for Community Health. Employees of the health center volunteer to conduct its activities, which are intended to improve people’s access to health care and empower them to be co-managers of their health and wellness plans. In particular, PCE strives to help Wright Center patients and others in the community overcome food insecurity and other non-medical issues that can affect their ability to focus on achieving and maintaining their maximum wellness. Those issues commonly include transportation barriers, lack of access to educational opportunities, homelessness, and poverty. For more information about The Wright Center and its primary and preventive care services, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
The Wright Center Provides Whole-Person HIV/AIDS Care As she trained for her career as an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Mary Louise Decker, medical director of The Wright Center for Community Health’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic, worked with people dying of AIDS at the Gift of Peace AIDS Hospice in Washington, D.C. More than 20 years later, half of the patients she treats at the Ryan White Clinic are over 55 and living healthy, everyday lives, thanks to decades of medical advances and the comprehensive care she and her team of dedicated and compassionate healers provide. “The advances in treatment have been remarkable,” she said about the virus, which was once a death sentence. “Now, HIV is a chronic disease, similar to diabetes or hypertension.” Dr. Decker and other staff members reflected on the advances made since the first World AIDS Day was observed on Dec. 1, 1988. Today, more than 70 million people have been infected with HIV, and about 35 million have died from AIDS since the pandemic’s start, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Ryan White clinic, based at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave., treats more than 450 patients aged 18 to 84 from 14 counties across Northeast and Central Pennsylvania annually. It offers comprehensive services for people living with or at risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS, including prevention, testing, and treatment. The Ryan White Clinic offers a whole-person approach to patient care, allowing patients to visit a single site for a full spectrum of health services. In addition to medical care management, staff at the clinic offer behavioral health, dental care, and addiction and recovery services. Ancillary services include housing assistance, medical nutrition therapy, emergency financial assistance, and more. “A patient might come for a general medical visit, but during that time, they will have their immunizations updated and their labs drawn and have the opportunity to talk to their case manager or with a behavioral health counselor. They’ll often meet with our nutritionist and maybe visit our food pantry,” said Dr. Decker. “We refer patients to specialists when appropriate. Many of these patients have not had access to these services before. It’s satisfying to see our patients looking and feeling well and caring for their health.” Dr. Decker said the most significant change in HIV and AIDS treatment since the late 1980s has been the advances in medication. Azidothymidine, commonly called AZT, became available in 1987 to help people with HIV live longer. But it was expensive, and because the virus continued to mutate, it often stopped working. As scientists learned more about the virus, better drugs were developed during the 1990s. It meant, however, that people living with HIV had to take “a handful of pills” every day, according to Dr. Decker. Today, people can take just one pill to lower the amount of HIV in their blood to undetectable levels, ensuring they will not develop AIDS. There’s also an injectable medication available to patients at the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic and medication to reduce the risk of the patients’ partners becoming infected with HIV. Because of the effectiveness of new medications and the staff’s focus on making sure patients can obtain medication and take it as prescribed, most of the clinic’s HIV patients have virtually undetectable viral rates. That ensures the patient will not develop AIDS, allowing them to live long, healthy lives. It also means they cannot pass HIV to anyone else. “The overall goal of the Centers for Disease Control is at least 95% of the people diagnosed with HIV have virtually undetectable viral rates by 2025,” said Melissa Bonnerwith, grants administrator for the Ryan White Clinic. “Our viral load suppression at the Ryan White Clinic sits at 96.31%, so we’re already at the national goal.” Despite the advances, the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS remains, according to clinic leaders. Sister Ruth Neely, CRNP, a Religious Sister of Mercy, began offering HIV outreach services in 1997, three years before The Wright Center’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic was formally established. She said many patients she works with still struggle with acceptance from family, friends, and society. “I talked to one of my patients; he’s 80 years old,” she said. “And he said the stigma is still out there. It’s something he’s always dealt with.” Dr. Decker said HIV and AIDS are discussed more freely than in the past. “We’re doing a better job of getting the message out there,” she said. “The more we can normalize getting tested, the less stigma will exist.” WHO IS RYAN WHITE? Ryan White was 13 when he was diagnosed with AIDS after a blood transfusion in December 1984. When the Kokomo, Indiana, teen tried to return to school, he faced AIDS-related discrimination in his community. Along with his mother, Jeanne White Ginder, he rallied for his right to attend school and became the face of public education about the disease. On Aug. 18, 1990, Congress enacted the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act — the legislation that created the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program — to improve the quality and availability of HIV care and treatment for low-income people with HIV. Today, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides HIV care and treatment services to more than half a million people with HIV. The Wright Center received its federal Ryan White designation in 2003. Since then, the clinic has provided comprehensive HIV primary medical care, essential support services, and medications for those living with HIV, including the uninsured and underserved, throughout 14 counties in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania, including Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming, Wayne, Pike, Monroe, and Susquehanna counties.
