Zoning approval sought for new medical clinic in Wilkes-Barre

Jerry Lynott, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Sep. 15—WILKES-BARRE — The upcoming closure of its clinic on the West Side expedited the plans of the Wright Center for Community Health to open a facility in the downtown in a property it's agreed to buy from King's College.

The Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board set a hearing for Sept. 28 on the Wright Center's application to establish a medical clinic at 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave.

The Oct. 31 closing of Commonwealth Health's First Hospital in Kingston increased the urgency for granting zoning approval and the need for the facility, supported in the application by unflattering descriptions of the health of individuals in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County overall.

The county has higher than state average deaths due to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and drug overdoses, the application said. Additionally, Wilkes-Barre has higher than state averages of people without health insurance and more than double the rate of people in poverty.

"TWCCH's proposed primary care clinic would provide a one-stop-shop for individuals and families in Luzerne County" to access affordable primary care, dental, nutrition, infectious disease, behavioral health, addiction medicine, and women's health services, the application said.

The application also said the clinic would provide "a clinical learning environment for primary care doctors in residency as well as interprofessional learners." It's estimated the clinic would create 50 new jobs in the city and 200 more in the future.

The application further stated the clinic "will increase access to care for the community, directly benefiting the community and the residents of the City of Wilkes-Barre and surrounding areas." The proposed facility would be located a short distance from the non-profit Volunteers in Medicine clinic at 190 N. Pennsylvania Ave.

In response to an inquiry Wednesday about the clinic being located at its property King's said it "is not able to provide information about the identified transaction."

The sale price was blacked out in the agreement of sale contained in the zoning application. King's purchased the property from Highmark Inc. in June 2019 for $1,599,950.

Although it did not name the school, the Wright Center also said in an email it "is excited to be in the final stages of purchasing a property within walking distance of downtown Wilkes-Barre."

"The vision for this project illustrates The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education's commitment to deepening our investment in the public health and welfare of Luzerne County," the Wright Center said. Additional information would be shared as the purchase of the property moves forward.

Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.