From left: Kenneth Okrepkie, Scranton Area Community Foundation Board of Governors; Laura Ducceschi, president and CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Holly Przasnyski, director, TWCPCE, and board coordinator, TWCPCE and The Wright Center for Community Health; Kathleen Doyle, co-director, TWCPCE, and director of patient-centered services and outreach at The Wright Center for Community Health; and Cathy Fitzpatrick, director of grants and scholarships, Scranton Area Community Foundation.
Submitted Photo
The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement will help Lackawanna County residents struggling to pay utility bills, thanks to an $8,000 grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation.
TWCPCE advances The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education’s mission — to improve the health and welfare of our communities through inclusive and responsive health services; and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve — by assisting the region’s most vulnerable populations.
To help connect patients with resources at The Wright Center and across the region, community health workers (CHWs) gather information about patients’ socioeconomic determinants of health (SDOH) – non-medical factors such as income, education level, employment status, housing quality, neighborhood environment, and access to health care that can influence health outcomes.
In fiscal year 2023-24, SDOH screenings revealed that 515 patients at The Wright Center faced utility bill-related hardships. The majority – 347 – needed assistance with electricity bills.
“Energy costs have traditionally been a more significant burden for low-income households, which typically spend a far larger percentage of their gross income on utility bills compared to higher-earning households,” said Holly Przasnyski, co-director of TWCPCE. “In Lackawanna County, many residents live in older, less energy-efficient homes, which increase utility bills, especially during the winter.”
Thanks to the generous grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation, TWCPCE can assist up to 133 low-income households in Lackawanna County with one-time payments of up to $200 for electric bills. The Wright Center’s CHWs and other staff members will complete SDOH screenings to identify patients who need utility bill assistance and can refer them to other community agencies for additional support.
“We’re thrilled about the grant because it’s a new resource for our patients,” Przasnyski said. “While other resources, like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, exist, they tend to be selective, limited, and difficult to access.”
The Scranton Area Community Foundation is on a mission to enhance the quality of life for all people in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy. With over $100 million in assets under management and more than 365 charitable funds, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served as a steward, grantmaker, charitable resource, and catalyst for change since 1954.
The Foundation leads various initiatives, including Women in Philanthropy, the Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellence, NEPA Moves, NEPA Thrives, and the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative. Additionally, the Foundation hosts and facilitates NEPA Gives and the NEPA Learning Conference. The Scranton Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization confirmed in compliance with National Standards of U.S. Community Foundations.
For information about the Scranton Area Community Foundation, visit www.safdn.org.
