The Wright Center for Community Health welcomes physician assistant to Tunkhannock location A physician assistant with deep ties to the community and extensive experience as a rural health provider is joining The Wright Center for Community Health’s new location at the former Tyler Memorial Hospital in Tunkhannock, which will open Monday, Sept. 9. Mallory Racoski, PA-C, MPAS, will provide responsive and inclusive whole-person primary health services for people of all ages, including checkups, physicals, screenings, and treatment of common illnesses and injuries at The Wright Center’s new community health center at 5950 U.S. Route 6, Suite 401. The office will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering access to integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. To schedule an appointment, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-591-5299. The Tunkhannock resident earned a Master of Science in physician assistant studies from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. She also completed 14 months of clinical training, including six weeks at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley location in Jermyn under the supervision of Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. Prior to joining The Wright Center, Racoski worked as a physician assistant at The Burke Center, a psychiatry clinic in Tunkhannock. She also worked for Commonwealth Health Services at the former Tyler Memorial Hospital, where she led a COVID-19 clinic, performed all COVID-19 testing for Wyoming County, and offered primary health services. She also has experience treating Lyme disease, as she’s worked with a Lyme disease specialist at Physicians Care P.C. The Wright Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike with a growing network of community health centers throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. It offers 12 community health centers, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health, serving patients of all ages, income levels, and insurance statuses. The Wright Center served more than 35,400 unique patients in fiscal year 2023-24.
Geisinger Plans Service Expansion in Tunkhannock Geisinger recently acquired a property that will be the new site of Geisinger Tunkhannock and will allow for the relocation of existing services in the community, specialty expansion and future growth. Located at 809 Hunter Highway (state Route 29) in Tunkhannock, across from Walmart, the new clinic will provide community members a more convenient care destination with easier access from the road and more available parking. Primary care, women’s health, ear, nose and throat, hematology/oncology, pharmacy, laboratory, imaging, and ConvenientCare walk-in services, as well as outreach services in cardiology, neurology, general surgery and pulmonology will move to the new space. Initial renovation of nearly 30,000 square feet is expected to begin in spring 2022 with completion expected by the end of 2022. Hematology/oncology will be expanded in the new clinic, growing from three infusion chairs and two exam rooms to six infusion chairs and four exam rooms. Cardiology services will also be more available to residents of Wyoming County, increasing from two days per month to 12 days per month (three days per week). “Our new Geisinger Tunkhannock clinic will be the next step forward in making better health easier for patients and members in Wyoming County,” said Kathy Lloyd, associate vice president of operations for the Geisinger Medicine Institute. “In this new space, we will continue providing the outstanding care and services we’ve offered the community for years with the room to expand and better coordinate primary and specialty care, if the need arises.” Market research predicts Wyoming County’s 65 and older population will grow by 8 percent in the next five years. These individuals typically require a greater need for specialty services and more frequent visits to their primary care physicians to manage chronic conditions. This new location will make this type of care more accessible so patients can better manage their overall health and, ideally, avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
