Press Releases

 U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) today announced that Rural Health Corporation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers, and Scranton Primary Health Care Center will receive funding from the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Center Program grants.  

“All Northeastern Pennsylvanians deserve access to medical care regardless of their zip code, whether they live in downtown Scranton or rural Wayne County. Health centers like the Rural Health Corporation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers, and Scranton Primary Health Care Center ensure that everyone can receive high quality, affordable care in their own backyard,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “That’s why I am committed to advocating for funding for our health care institutions, especially as they continue to lead the fight against COVID-19.”

“We are very fortunate to receive this additional funding as a ‘reward,’ if you will, for our commitment to high quality care and information technology improvements.  More importantly, we have been recognized yet again for our Patient Centered Medical Home designation which ensures that we put the patient at the center of everything we do at  Rural Health and that their care is properly managed in the whole picture, resulting in overall better health outcomes for individuals and the communities we serve,” said Tiffany Tankalavage, President and CEO of the Rural Health Corporation of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

"This funding will support our Patient Centered Medical Home Certification (PCMH) accreditation from The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as well as the continuation of WMCHC's Integrated Behavioral Health Program. Through this funding, WMCHC can hire a peer support specialist for its substance abuse disease program and purchase valuable medications for uninsured patients needing medication-assisted treatment for opioid and other substance abuse disorders," said Frederick Jackson, Wayne Memorial Community Health Center Executive Director. “We are extremely grateful for Representative Cartwright's support of health center programming and working across the aisle to ensure funding of the health center program.”

“The most recent awards recognize Scranton Primary as a Clinical Quality Improver for increasing all quality metrics in excess of 15%, as well as providing support to allow us to provide integrated behavioral health for our patients when they visit one of our offices for pediatric care, family medicine, internal medicine, women's health, perinatal care, or general dental care. The integrated care allows them to get needed help while they are in the office, rather than having to schedule another appointment,” said Joseph Hollander, CEO of Scranton Primary Health Care Center. “In the last six years, the number of patient visits to Scranton Primary has increased over 87% as a result of the continuing support we have received from Congressman Cartwright.”

The Health Center Program grant is managed by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of HHS. It is the primary federal agency for improving health care for residents who are geographically isolated and/or economically or medically vulnerable. HRSA’s 90-plus programs support over 3,000 grantees that meet the health care needs of tens of millions of Americans. The HRSA provides Quality Improvement Award and Integrated Behavioral Health Services funding to organizations currently receiving Health Center Program operational grant funding. The QIA celebrates and promotes the optimization of overall quality, efficiency, and value of health care services provided by our nation’s health centers.  There are eight categories for achievement. The IBHS is a non-competitive supplement to help health centers increase access to high quality, integrated mental health and substance use disorders (SUD) services, including opioid use disorder.