University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine partner to reopen health clinic for uninsured Lackawanna County residents
SCRANTON — A University of Scranton health clinic for uninsured Lackawanna County residents that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic has reopened through a partnership with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.
The Edward R. Leahy Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured, in the lower level of the university’s McGurrin Hall with an entrance from Kressler Court, is the only free clinic in Lackawanna County.
Founded in 2008, the clinic closed four years ago because of the pandemic. The schools agreed in September of 2023 to reopen the clinic under a partnership that would not only help needy patients but also provide real-world experience to students of both institutions.
About 100 people attended a ceremony Wednesday at the university to celebrate the recent reopening and tour the clinic. It provides routine physical examinations, primary care, pre-work physical examinations, adult pre-education physical examinations and sick visits, as well as clinics for counseling, low vision and physical therapy and opportunities for students from throughout the university to volunteer.
The Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., the University of Scranton president, said the partnership’s true meaning is “working together for the healing of others, especially those who don’t have access to the same kinds of resources that many of us are privileged to have.”
The clinic has a “student-run” model to provide high-quality care in a welcoming, respectful and compassionate environment for uninsured patients and to expand opportunities for practical experience in patient care, clinic management and other aspects of health care for students.
“One of our desires, of course, is to inspire the young people in the region into the health professions where you blend science and service. To have this opportunity of learning that science, applying it in service, within professional partners of multiple learning levels, it’s just really special, unique and contributing to our community,” said Julie Byerley, M.D., M.P.H., president of Geisinger College of Health Sciences and who also is the dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and executive vice president and chief academic officer of Geisinger.
Olivia Zehel, a University of Scranton graduate of the class of 2023 and a first-year student at GCOM, said the clinic played a significant role in her decision to stay in this area to continue her education. She joined the clinic planning phase process in 2022.
“It was then that I found tangible proof of the compatibility of the mission of the medical school and the Jesuit values that were instilled in me during my four years of education here,” Zehel said. “Collectively, our institutions inspire students to serve the community with compassion and to advocate for equity. These goals are accomplished by offering students a robust education, which emphasizes the humanity that connects us ... patients and providers alike.”
Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the university’s Leahy College of Health Sciences, also thanked community partners that provide financial support or offer medications, medical supplies and testing for patients at deeply discounted rates, “so that the most-vulnerable members of our community are able to receive no- or low-cost medical and mental health care. The Leahy Clinic does not accept a single dime from the patients that we serve.”
Benefactor Edward R. Leahy, a University of Scranton graduate of the class of 1968 and a former chair of the university’s board of trustees, called the reopening of the clinic a “rebirth” that is important for the people it serves, city, the university community and clinic workers.
“It’s a four-bagger — a total winner in this city,” Leahy said.
