Wright Center designated a Federally Qualified Health Center, plans new clinic in Monroe County

The Wright Center for Community Health has been designated a Federally Qualified Health Center by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and will open a new community health center in Monroe County later this year. Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan joined Wright Center officials Monday at the organization’s facility on South Washington Avenue in Scranton to celebrate the designation, “a transformational milestone that will significantly broaden access to affordable, high-quality whole-person primary and preventive health services” throughout the region, the Wright Center said in a press release. It specifically credits the first-term GOP congressman’s “steadfast advocacy,” noting his “leadership and ongoing engagement with HRSA helped secure approval to establish a community health center in Blakeslee, Monroe County.” That clinic is expected to open at 5251 Route 115 in the late fall and serve more than 2,000 patients annually, per the release, which notes broad bipartisan support from other elected officials and government leaders also bolstered the successful application. The designation, meanwhile, transitions the Wright Center from what’s known as a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike to a FQHC eligible for federal operational grants under Section 330 of the Public Health Services Act, according to the release. Wright Center officials also praised Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp., for helping achieve that milestone. In his own press release, Bresnahan said the Wright Center’s new designation “means more resources to bring affordable, quality care to the people who need it most.”