SCRANTON, PA — Intense stomach pain, unexplained weight loss and a host of other symptoms worsened as the months went by.

Jennifer Roth, 49, feared the worst as she went to her appointment with certified registered nurse practitioner Maura Longstreet, the primary care provider at The Wright Center for Community Health North Scranton Practice, 1721 N. Main Ave. 

“She immediately ordered a whole battery of tests,” Roth said. “We started with a CAT scan, she sent me to specialists, everything she could possibly think of.” 

Within a few weeks, the results came back: complications caused by pancreas divisum. She was diagnosed with the rare condition in 2022. Pancreas divisum occurs when the pancreas does not develop normally in the womb, and the pancreatic duct never fuses together as it should. Most people with this birth defect never know it, but others, like Roth, can develop serious problems. 

Roth is no stranger to serious medical problems, including an epilepsy diagnosis in 2010 that forced her to stop working as a registered nurse. Since she was 12, she’s been treated by Dr. Paul Remick, a North Scranton physician who also treated most of her family. Over the decades, Dr. Remick became more than just the family doctor. He knew her medical history practically by heart, she said. When her father died, Dr. Remick attended the viewing and called her mother to offer his condolences. 

When she learned in the summer of 2023 that Dr. Remick was retiring and The Wright Center for Community Health was taking over the practice, she was unsure what to do. 

The South Scranton native, who is married and has an 18-year-old son, Max, had heard positive reviews about The Wright Center for Community Health and decided to try the familiar practice under its new ownership. Given her complicated and lengthy medical history, she hoped to find providers who were as dedicated as Dr. Remick.

“I thought, all of my medical history is there already,” she said. “Let’s make an appointment and see how it goes.”

What she found at The Wright Center, she said, is a patient-centered medical home that focuses on providing whole-person primary health services and providers who listen to her concerns and take the time to understand her medical history. 

“As a primary care office, it’s our responsibility to take care of the patients—body, mind and spirit,” said Longstreet, who holds a master’s degree in nursing and is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. “Making sure everyone is up to date with screenings to treating more serious problems, that’s what we’re here for.” 

Longstreet immediately got to work helping Roth navigate the pancreas divisum diagnosis, even calling a specialist in Philadelphia to get her patient further treatment – and calling the same specialist a second time to get Roth an appointment sooner.  

Roth is grateful to have an advocate like Longstreet as she pursues treatment, not just for regular checkups but also to advocate for her medical needs. Longstreet connected her to a nutritionist for advice on how to cope with a restricted diet to help keep her symptoms at bay, as well as cancer and liver specialists to rule out other issues. 

“The last time I was hospitalized, I was at an appointment at the North Scranton Practice,” said Roth, recalling how Longstreet spent hours giving her intravenous fluids and medication before deciding to have her admitted to a local hospital for further treatment. “Maura was really concerned, and she was able to do a direct hospital admission from the practice. I was able to bypass the emergency room and get right in for treatment.” 

Longstreet said the North Scranton Practice strives to offer every patient that kind of personal attention. Like Roth, many of the patients the nurse practitioner sees at the practice have long histories with Dr. Remick’s former practice. 

“It was a little intimidating, especially since I’m a nurse practitioner and not a physician,” said Longstreet, who joined The Wright Center four years ago and became the primary care provider at the North Scranton Practice when it opened in 2023. “I’ve spent countless hours doing research, collaborating with other practitioners at The Wright Center and elsewhere, to make sure we’re giving patients the best care.” 

Roth continues to keep Longstreet updated as she waits for word about a possible surgery in Philadelphia. In addition to her regular appointments with Longstreet, she’s also been in contact with a community health worker, who assists with transportation to and from appointments and anything else she might need. 

She hopes that after the surgery, her health will improve enough for her to resume a normal life, including her work as a nurse. 

Community Health North Scranton Practice is a full-service, family-friendly primary and pediatric care office. It accepts patients of all ages for checkups, physicals and screenings, treatment of common illnesses and injuries, and behavioral health and addiction and recovery services, including medication-assisted treatment. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570/346-8417.