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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; The ribbon was officially cut, and the doors of the new wing of the Wright Center for Community Health were officially opened inside First Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.</p><p>&#8220;This is an incredible moment for us,&#8221; said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, the president of the Wright Center. &#8220;Thanks to the incredible leadership of our friends, who were tenacious, we are here.&#8221;</p><p>The Wright Center has been around since 1974, and its mission is to provide and improve health care services and the welfare of the community through inclusive and responsive health services.</p><p>On July 1, the Wright Center assumed ownership of the clinic formerly known as the Wilkes-Barre Family Medicine Residency, operated out of First Hospital.</p><p>There are three full-time primary care physicians on staff at the Wright Center&#8217;s Kingston practice: Dr. Richard English, Dr. Linda Spring and the program director, Dr. Maureen Litchman.</p><p>&#8220;We take care of all community needs, whether it&#8217;s psychiatric issues or substance abuse problems in the community,&#8221; Spring said.</p><p>&#8220;The clinic has multiple purposes, to provide quality healthcare for patients of the community and it serves as an educational source for our residents that we&#8217;re training to become high-quality family physicians,&#8221; Litchman said.</p><p>It was Litchman who cut the ceremonial ribbon at the clinic&#8217;s Sharpe Street location in Kingston.</p><p>Residents at the Wright Center will undergo a three-year program in order to become family physicians, learning how to handle numerous inpatient and outpatient situations. There are roughly 35 residents currently studying at the Wright Center.</p><p>&#8220;They learn how to take care of babies in the nursery, or assist in the intensive care unit or the operating room,&#8221; Litchman said.</p><p>In addition, residents will learn how to take care of patients in a family-modeled practice, or FMP.</p><p>&#8220;The majority of their continuity of care patients are in their FMP, and that&#8217;s this area,&#8221; Litchman said.</p><p>Additional information on the Wright Center&#8217;s practices could be found online at <a href="https://thewrightcenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.thewrightcenter.org.</a></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Members of the Wright Center staff cut the ceremonial ribbon Tuesday at First Hospital in Kingston. There are three full-time primary care physicians on staff. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_ribbon-cutting.jpg</photo0><caption0>Members of the Wright Center staff cut the ceremonial ribbon Tuesday at First Hospital in Kingston. There are three full-time primary care physicians on staff. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kevin Carroll</p><p>kcarroll@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Kevin Carroll at 570-954-8360 or on Twitter @TLKevinCarroll</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wright Center begins health services at First Hospital