Dr. Meaghan Ruddy

Dr. Meaghan Ruddy

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<p>Dr. Jumee Barooah</p>

Dr. Jumee Barooah

<p>Karen Arscott</p>

Karen Arscott

<p>Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak</p>

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak

<p>Scott Constantini</p>

Scott Constantini

A scholarly research team at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education has had their scholarly abstract, “An Addiction Medicine Fellowship’s Valuable Engagement in an Essential Community Provider’s ‘Whole Person’ Care and Education Model,” accepted for presentation at a highly competitive national conference.

The federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) abstract review committee chose the research article for its Bureau of Health Workforce Virtual All Grantee and Stakeholder Meeting in April. 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.

Dr. Karen Arscott, a primary care and addiction medicine specialist, will make the public presentation of the abstract for the research team. Drs. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO, and Jumee Barooah, designated institutional officer, also contributed to the research along with Scott Constantini, director of behavioral health, and Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D., senior vice president of assessment and advancement for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education.

The abstract, one of 72 accepted for presentation, illustrates how HRSA’s investment in the Geisinger-Wright Center for Community Health addiction fellowship partnership helped improve access to health care services and trained the health workforce to address behavioral and community health needs.

A Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, The Wright Center for Community Health features a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence, one of about 50 in the state. The program helps individuals in recovery reshape their lifestyles from the comfort of their own communities. Patients connect with supportive certified recovery specialists, case managers, social workers and medical providers at any of the Wright Center for Community Health’s primary care practices. The providers help them break the cycle of addiction and reshape their lifestyle through outpatient care.

The Wright Center also co-founded the Healthy Maternal Opiate Medical Support (Healthy MOMS) program, which assists pregnant and postpartum women who are coping with substance use disorder.

For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to thewrigthcenter.org or call 570-343-2383.