Since its founding a decade and a half ago, The University of Scranton’s Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured has served two critical functions -- providing hands-on, real- world training to students planning careers in health care, and delivering high-quality free medical care for underserved members of the local community.
That mission was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now, thanks to a partnership between the University and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), the clinic is set to reopen its doors with a newly enhanced mission and range of services.
Back in September, representatives from the University and Geisinger signed a master affiliation agreement that put into action a reimagined “student-run” model for the clinic that provides “high-quality care in a welcoming, respectful, and compassionate environment” for the region’s uninsured residents while expanding opportunities for University and medical school students to gain practical experience in patient care, clinic management and other aspects of health care.
Located in the lower level of McGurrin Hall and part of the Leahy Community Health and Family Center, the clinic reopens with student volunteers from both institutions running its day-to-day operations with assistance from Medical Director Susan Russell, M.D., family physician for Geisinger and assistant professor at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Administrative Director Maria L. Vital, Ph.D. G’11, and a dedicated crew of volunteer faculty and physicians. A steering committee made up of University and GCSOM representatives oversees the clinic.
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Read ArticleThe clinic provides true longitudinal health care, offering primary care services that are integrated with the University’s existing Physical Therapy, Low Vision and Counseling clinics.
“The exciting thing for me is that students at all levels and across a range majors, whether they’re interested in service or in a human services job, can practice both their clinical and interpersonal skills at the clinic,” said Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies. “As a Jesuit university, obviously one of the things we emphasize to our students is cura personalis, and one way to practice that is through volunteering at the clinic and serving some of the most vulnerable people in our community. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
“One of the things we do in screening applicants is look for someone who has a hunger for service. So, this is a way for our students to have that desire come forward,” said William B. Jeffries, Ph.D. ’80, vice dean for education at GCSOM and provost for Geisinger College of Health Sciences. “This medical school was founded by the community, so we want to serve the community as a debt. Having the opportunity to run this clinic with the University is a wonderful thing.”
Coming ‘Full Circle’ on a Partnership
Named for the late son of longtime University benefactors Edward ’68, H’01 and Patricia Leahy, the original iteration of the Leahy Clinic opened in 2008 and provided high-quality acute, “non-emergency” care to uninsured Scranton-area residents who might not have otherwise sought it. The clinic operated until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to cease operations.
“This clinic was started by a very committed group of people who deserve a lot of credit for the great work they did over the years,” said Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D., R.N.‘89, professor of nursing at the University.
While patients received exceptional, compassionate care and students were exposed to plenty of experiential learning, the clinic was still limited in scope, Dean Castellanos noted.
“We didn’t have the resources to be the true medical home for the people we serve,” she said. “It was more of an urgent care clinic, where they would be seen by volunteer physicians or advanced practice nurses. Which was great, but it still limited what we could do. Chronic disease management and preventative health by nature requires an ongoing interaction with a patient – an acute model doesn’t work as well for that approach. And the clinic would close during the summer and intersession – obviously if we’re going to be the medical home for people in the community, you need to be open year-round.”
As the clinic sat idle during the pandemic, representatives at Geisinger were considering ways to enhance learning experiences for GCSOM’s students. When they began exploring how they could establish a free community clinic, they were happy to learn the University was interested in reopening the Leahy Clinic, “but needing help with the medical infrastructure side of things,” Dr. Jeffries said.
It seemed like the ideal makings of a partnership, he added, noting several years ago he participated in an alumni medical forum at the University where he delivered the talk, “Initiatives to Improve Medical Education.”
“All the medical school founders were there, and the two institutions were trying to figure out how to coexist and be complementary to each other and not step on each other’s toes,” Dr. Jeffries said. “Father (Scott) Pilarz was president of the University at the time, and I remember talking with him about how a partnership could work. And now, here it is, having come full circle.”
When Geisinger reached out to the University, “it really got us reenergized in terms of figuring out how to re-imagine the clinic and provide more opportunities for our students and the medical school’s students,” Dean Castellanos said.
Re-imagineering Opportunities From a ‘30,000-Foot View’
To figure out the particulars of the new model, a task force made up of administrators, faculty and students from both institutions was formed.
Dr. DiMattio, who served as interim associate dean of the Panuska College last year, brought significant knowledge to the group, having served on the board of trustees at Regional Hospital of Scranton and Mercy Health Partners.
“During my time on the boards, I learned a lot about the business and regulatory side of health care, which allowed me to work on the logistics of getting the clinic up and running again,” she said. “I had some sense of the big picture of health care delivery, kind of the 30,000-foot view of operations. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute in some way. It’s been a privilege.”
Among the students involved in the clinic’s reimagining was Olivia Zehel, a 2023 University graduate and current first-year GCSOM medical student and Abigail Geisinger Scholar.
Zehel never got the chance to work at the clinic while studying biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and philosophy at the University, so she’s thrilled to have the opportunity now.
“It’s been incredible seeing a group of dedicated people come together for something that is going to benefit so many people in the community,” Zehel said. “My main motivation for going to medical school is the service component. Over time, I’ve become more aware of the deficits in care for different populations. There are many people here in Scranton who aren’t receiving the care they should, so it’s exciting for me to merge my passions at a place where I’ve forged so many connections over the last few years. All of my classmates are beyond excited about the clinic – it’s almost going to be like a residency before we’re placed in one.”
Collaboration Helps Students Take the Lead
Ultimately, the group decided the reimagined Leahy Clinic would be a primary care medical home for uninsured families. For inspiration, they looked to the University’s long-running Physical Therapy Clinic, which has been a student-run operation since 2015. At the PT clinic, a revolving group of student volunteers handle all clinical and administrative duties, said Renée M. Hakim, PT, Ph.D. ‘90, professor and chair/program director of the Department of Physical Therapy.
“It’s really a nice way for them to develop leadership skills, and then they get to be peer mentors to the incoming students,” Dr. Hakim said. “The faculty members provide guidance, but we really want the student group to take the lead. It helps us align with our mission and allows the students to serve as men and women for others. The patients get evidence-based care, and the students get to learn and serve an underserved population. They’re practicing, but they’re also practicing doing good. The students always tell me how much they get out of that.”
Dr. Hakim believes her students will benefit greatly from collaborating closely with students from other disciplines, much as one would in a hospital setting. That interdisciplinary approach, she said, makes for better preventative medicine for the patient – and better health outcomes overall.
Dr. DiMattio echoed that sentiment, noting she’s excited about the clinic serving as an ideal environment for the University’s nursing students to learn more about the increasingly larger role population health and the social determinants of health are playing in health care.
“It’ll provide them with the opportunity for interprofessional education and set them up to become licensed professionals who are collaborative and aren’t just delivering care in silos. And it’s very much in the University’s mission of social justice, of carrying out care to those from marginalized communities.”
“In this new environment, our students can see patients being treated not just in terms of their physical health, but all aspects of their health, and how they all relate to one another,” said Dr. DiMattio, who serves on the clinic’s steering committee. “It’ll provide them with the opportunity for interprofessional education and set them up to become licensed professionals who are collaborative and aren’t just delivering care in silos. And it’s very much in the University’s mission of social justice, of carrying out care to those from marginalized communities.”
“We’re imagining the clinic as the primary health care provider for this group of uninsured people, with physicians here managing their care and identifying specialists within the community who are willing to provide free care,” Dr. Castellanos added. “For folks who need health care and are uninsured, this will be life changing for them. There are all sorts of opportunities to expand our care for patients, and give our students more learning opportunities, and put in practice the Jesuit mission. It’s great for everyone involved.”
Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, The University of Scranton:
“For folks that need health care who are uninsured, this will be life changing for them. There are all sorts of opportunities to expand our care for patients, and give our students more learning opportunities, and put in practice the Jesuit mission.”
William B. Jeffries, Ph.D. ’80, vice dean for education at GCSOM and provost for Geisinger College of Health Sciences:
“The patients get evidence-based care, and the students get to learn and serve an underserved population. They’re practicing, but they’re also practicing doing good. The students always tell me how much they get out of that.”
Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D., R.N. ‘89, professor of nursing at the University who serves on the clinic’s steering committee, on student opportunities:
“It’ll provide them with the opportunity for interprofessional education and set them up to become licensed professionals who are collaborative and aren’t just delivering care in silos. And it’s very much in the University’s mission of social justice, of carrying out care to those from marginalized communities.”
Renée M. Hakim, PT, Ph.D. ‘90, professor and chair/program director of the Department of Physical Therapy:
“The patients get evidence-based care, and the students get to learn and serve an underserved population. They’re practicing, but they’re also practicing doing good. The students always tell me how much they get out of that.”
Olivia Zehel, ‘23 a University graduate and current first-year GCSOM medical student and Abigail Geisinger Scholar:
“My main motivation for going to medical school is the service component. …There are many people here in Scranton who aren’t receiving the care they should, so it’s exciting for me to merge my passions at a place where I’ve forged so many connections over the last few years.”
