Our Opinion: Reducing printer costs by $60k a move worthy of replication in Luzerne County government

Local union leader urges Luzerne County Council to reconsider contract bidding change

<p>January is aptly named for Janus, the Roman god of transitions and new beginnings. Janus has two faces, one looking to the future and the other to the past.</p><p>Since we bid farewell to 2015, Janus is particularly relevant to The Commonwealth Medical College because 2016 will be a year of new endeavors solidly rooted in past commitments to the communities we serve.</p><p>Since the first breakfast planning meeting in October 2004 until the day in August 2009 when our charter class first arrived, TCMC embraced all of the best qualities of a start-up venture. We were passionate and tenacious, and held a cheerful disregard for naysayers. Most importantly, we were a grass-roots effort &#8211; born of community and driven by a desire to serve that community. These values will not change, but as we mature we must reflect and recalibrate our efforts to keep them aligned with our mission and relevant to our singular goal of community well-being through innovation. This is where TCMC finds itself at the dawn of 2016.</p><p>TCMC&#8217;s achievement of full accreditation in 2014 marked a watershed moment when our school moved past being a start-up into a vibrant young institution blazing new trails in medical and graduate education. The year since then has been one of great transition: We reconsidered and redesigned our signature curricular program, the longitudinal integrated clerkship; we expanded our network of clinical partners, most notably launching our fourth campus at Guthrie in Sayre; we welcomed yet another class of more than 100 students; and we learned that our economic impact to the region and state amounts to $65.2 million. In sum, we have achieved the strategic intent of what we have come to call &#8220;TCMC 1.0,&#8221; the creation of an accredited medical school.</p><p>Accreditation was significant but was not, by itself, the ultimate goal. We are now ready to envision TCMC 2.0. We are ready to take on the harder work of pushing the envelope of innovation and serving our mission by transforming the health of our communities.</p><p>How will we pursue TCMC 2.0? We have several ideas that will serve the community&#8217;s overall well-being.</p><p>We have often noted that our mission to improve community health can only be realized in collaboration with community partners. In this regard, two particular initiatives already have begun to bear fruit: the Behavioral Health Initiative (BHI) and our high school and college student pipeline efforts.</p><p>The needs of Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania in mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention are substantial. The overwhelming community support given to our Behavioral Health Initiative reflects that reality. The effort relies on partnerships &#8211; in this case with the Luzerne Foundation, the Wright Center, Community Care Behavioral Health and dozens of agencies and other community partners represented on our large advisory committee.</p><p>As a natural outgrowth of BHI, The Wright Center, with participation by TCMC, hopes to begin training psychiatry residents within the next few years. In addition, we are developing a certificate program to train primary care providers in mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention. Dr. Richard Silbert, a TCMC faculty psychiatrist from Community Care Behavioral Health, chairs the task force designing this program, which we hope will be ready to launch within the new year.</p><p>We also have task forces working on models of integrated care, telepsychiatry, suicide prevention and autism.</p><p>Another community initiative is the pipeline program we have offered to underprivileged high school and college students through REACH-HEI (Regional Education Academy for Careers in Health &#8211; Higher Education Initiative). The program provides a pathway from high school through community and four-year colleges to economically disadvantaged students interested in careers in health or health-related professions. We have been very proud of the remarkable success of students who have gone through REACH-HEI and are excited by the enthusiasm it has generated in communities from Hazleton to East Stroudsburg.</p><p>In addition to community partnerships, TCMC, as an institution, will focus on well-being. We are establishing a meaningful definition of &#8220;community service&#8221; for our students &#8211; one that is clear, that embodies service learning and is aligned with our mission to improve community health. Our students already receive more exposure to community-based services than other medical students and we must capitalize on their energy and make these interactions catalysts for change.</p><p>In research too, TCMC needs to address community needs, from cancer to neurological disease. In this regard, even our laboratory research is community-focused. And we plan to expand our research direction beyond the laboratory to make it as relevant as possible to the community. Our faculty will be strategizing on the best opportunities for us to develop research programs and partnerships in these and other areas.</p><p>TCMC&#8217;s goal is to be &#8220;This Community&#8217;s Medical College.&#8221; That&#8217;s why these and other initiatives in service to the community inspire me. They embody our vision for TCMC 2.0 as much as they remind us of how a community came together to move TCMC 1.0 from a dream to reality.</p><p>As we look toward a future dedicated to community well-being through innovation, like Janus, we will not forget our past.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_ScheinmanSteven.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_ScheinmanSteven.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Dr. Steven J. Scheinman</p><p>Contributing Columnist</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dr. Steven J. Scheinman is president and dean of The Commonwealth Medical College, which operates campuses in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Sayre and Williamsport. For information, visit <a href="https://tcmc.edu/" target="_blank">tcmc.edu</a>.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dr. Steven J. Scheinman: The Commonwealth Medical College preparing to ramp-up its role in NEPA