Cartwright announces over $6M for The Wright Center

MOOSIC — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright on Monday said “when we invest in high-quality education for physicians, and when we work to expand access to health care, we all benefit.”

Cartwright announced that The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education received $6,054,730 from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Payment Program.

“The Wright Center has a long history of training doctors and meeting the health care needs of our vulnerable citizens,” said Cartwright, D-Moosic, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Now more than ever, we need strong community partners like them to have what they need so they can continue offering accessible, affordable and quality medical care provided by a well-trained, compassionate work force.”

While many medical residency programs base training in hospitals, Cartwright said the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program trains residents in community-based primary care settings. For the 2018-2019 academic year, the THCGME program supported 728 residents in 56 primary care residency programs in 23 states.

He said The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has been at the forefront of community-based graduate medical education for over forty years, proudly educating over 800 physicians.

“The Wright Center remains a grateful steward of mission-critical funding bestowed by the HRSA and shepherded home to Northeastern Pennsylvania by Congressman Cartwright,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, President of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education and CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health. “We are very grateful to HRSA and thank Congressman Cartwright for his past and future support of the Teaching Health Center legislation that enables us to train the next generation of physicians while providing comprehensive primary care services to our region’s most vulnerable populations.”

HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provides health care to people who are geographically isolated, and/or economically or medically vulnerable.

The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Payment Program is a multi-year grant program that provides funds to support the teaching of residents in community-based primary care centers, particularly in rural and underserved areas.