Andrew C. Mazza Memorial Health Center fills Upvalley's healthcare needs
Jun. 5—GREENFIELD TWP. — A federally funded health center is a health care home for residents of the Upvalley.
The Andrew C. Mazza Memorial Health Center at 127 Route 106 offers primary care for newborns through the elderly, dental, psychiatric and behavioral health, OB-GYN services, care management services and a 340B pharmacy program, which requires manufacturers to provide discounted prescriptions to organizations that assist low-income individuals.
The center has 15 full-time employees, including two primary care nurse practitioners, an obstetrician, dentist, dental hygienist and two psychiatric nurse practitioners. It houses four exam rooms, four dental chairs, lab space, a nurses' station and two behavioral health offices. It is run by NEPA Community Health Care of Montrose.
As a Federally Qualified Health Center, the facility gets funding to provide sliding fees and discounts to low-income individuals, and patients pay what they can. All insurances are accepted. The center is open Monday through Friday, and there is also after-hours telehealth service.
Since opening in 2018, the number of patients served has increased. Last year, a little more than 2,000 were seen — half for primary care and 20% being low-income families. It is a place patients can get medical care under one roof, according to CEO Kristen Follert.
"That is truly beneficial to our surrounding communities," she said.
While health care is abundant in more urban areas like Scranton and Dickson City, fewer options exist in rural parts of Lackawanna County. Having the center in Greenfield Twp. fills that need, Follert said, and is convenient for people who lack transportation.
"Opening a location here provides that primary care service closer to home," she said.
The center mainly serves patients in northern Lackawanna and southern Susquehanna counties, but Follert said people come from as far away as Pittston for psychiatric services. Dentistry was added two years ago to meet demand, she added.
Follert said the need has been especially great with fewer doctors in the area, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Being here and being open and not allowing the pandemic to affect our accessibility really provided an essential service," she said.
Offering care from prenatal to old age brings families to the center, Follert said.
Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, said places like the Andrew C. Mazza Memorial Health Center fill a health care need in rural communities, where more people are covered by public health insurance programs.
"Being able to get services through a facility that is bound to provide services to the un- or under-insured is a real benefit," she said.
Having services in one location allows providers to collaborate and get to know patients, Davis said. It also strengthens care, helps patients navigate the health care system and fills a need for OB-GYN, behavioral health and dental services, which can be scarce in rural areas.
They benefit communities economically, she said, by bringing in jobs and economic investment.
The center is named for township resident Andrew Mazza, who died in a car crash in February 2016, when a vehicle he was riding in crashed in a stream in Gibson Twp. While trapped, Mazza held a passenger above water in a pocket of air. The community raised more than $90,000 in his honor to fund the center.
Nurse practitioner Emily Geras gets satisfaction from the personal connections with patients. She sees between 18 and 22 daily.
"It's a good environment," she said. "It's like family here."
Geras, who has worked at the center since 2019, also likes getting to know patients and their families. Staff provides better care in one location.
"We work very well together," she said.
With interest high, Follert sees the center growing and providing more services. NEPA Community Healthcare is talking with United Way of Susquehanna County to start a vision care program for elementary and high school-aged children.
"I do believe our facility needs to grow and expand, square-footage wise," she said.
Five years into its operation, Follert said the center honors Mazza's legacy.
"I definitely think this health center is fulfilling the spirit and ideals that Andrew embodied," she said.
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