Secretary Debra Bogen of the State Department of Health championed this week the Wyoming County State Health Center’s reopening in Tunkhannock.
The clinic offers vaccines and free services like HIV and STD testing and counseling, COVID-19 tests, naloxone distribution, condoms, gun locks and referrals for healthcare services for people who are underinsured or uninsured.
It’s one of 59 state health centers across the state.
DHS moved the center in March from Highway 6, near the former Tyler Memorial Hospital, to Tunkhannock to serve at the heart of the community.
Bogen called state health centers “the best-kept secret in Pennsylvania” during Wednesday’s press conference. She said they connect people who have insufficient access or do not have healthcare to local resources.
“Residents in both rural and urban communities are experiencing challenges accessing critical health care services. Our state health centers fill in some of those gaps, while state health centers do not offer comprehensive health care services, the staff work closely with local health care providers who do, and we can facilitate linkages to care when additional care is needed,” said Bogen.
DHS Community Health Nurse Amanda Moyer helps patients find the resources they need through the center. She shared how she recently worked with a mother of a two-month-old. Most of the center’s patients are children.
“I was able to have a conversation with Mom about her primary care provider. She had asked some questions about where she could go, [and if] she could get vaccines at her primary care provider,” she said.
Patients can access vaccines for measles, flu, COVID-19 and more, according to DHS staff.
“We also screened for her needs. We asked [her,] ‘Do you have formula? Do you have the things that you need to keep your baby safe at home? Do you have the support that you need?’ Because we're able to refer her to a number of resources around here,” said Moyer.
Moyer said state health centers work with surrounding agencies to connect Pennsylvanians to resources. She’s excited that the center is now next to the State Department of Human Services’s Wyoming County Assistance Office, as it helps her link patients and their families to the state’s greater support network.
Hospital closures, rural healthcare and uninsured Pennsylvanians
Bogen added that clinics like the Wyoming County center are more important than ever, as several hospitals in the state are at risk of closure.
Wyoming County lost its hospital, Tyler Memorial in 2022, leaving residents little choice but to travel up to 30 miles to receive care. The Wyoming County Healthcare Center, Inc. opened at the same location in October 2024, but the center does not provide emergency care.
Bogen added that Tunkhannock – and rural Pennsylvania at large – doesn’t have enough health care providers to fulfill community needs. Clinics like Wyoming’s state health center help bridge the gap.
She said in rural areas, there are about 500 people for every primary care provider. That’s double the number for urban areas.
“That means that people wait longer, they have to travel farther, they have less choice … Primary care is the backbone of healthcare,” said Bogen.
She added that primary care providers detect conditions before they progress into more serious problems. Without early detection, people in rural areas often get sicker and face more complex medical issues than people who live in communities with better access to care.
State Health Centers cannot replace primary care providers, but can help connect people who are uninsured or underinsured to healthcare. Many of the center’s patients rely on Medicaid or Pennie.
Bogen says Medicaid cuts will hurt Pennsylvanians
Bogen argued Congress’ proposed cuts to Medicaid would impact healthcare for more than 300,000 Pennsylvanians.
“It's a really important insurance provider in our state. And the loss of Medicaid, or reductions in Medicaid, will be felt in every community across the state. It'll affect hospitals. It'll affect healthcare providers. It will affect families and the people who live next door to you,” said Bogen.
She said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, if passed, would disproportionately affect children, seniors and rural communities.
“One in three births in Pennsylvania are covered under Medicaid … It also covers a lot of our seniors living in long-term care facilities,” said Bogen.
More than 3.1 million Pennsylvanians are covered by Medicaid, according to KFF. That’s roughly 21% of the state’s population.
Medicaid helps cover healthcare costs for people with limited income.
Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget on healthcare
While Congress’ spending bill proposes to cut Medicaid spending, Bogen said Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget pushes to expand healthcare access for rural Pennsylvania.
Shapiro’s proposal calls for $10 million in state funding for a $35.1 million investment in rural hospitals and $5 million to expand the health department’s Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, which offers loan repayment for healthcare providers that serve in rural communities.
Also included in Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget for healthcare
- $20 million for patient safety and quality improvement initiatives to reduce barriers to care, like affordability and transportation
- $5 million to address nursing shortages
- $10 million to expand behavioral health loan repayment programs
Bogen said Shapiro’s budget works to address hospital closures in rural Pennsylvania.
“There are a number of initiatives the governor is working on to really try to make sure that our rural communities have access to care. Our data [shows] that rural communities have higher rates of cardiovascular disease, cancers [and] shorter life expectancy. So, we really need to work and make sure people have access to care across the Commonwealth,” said Bogen.
The Wyoming County State Health Center’s new location is 608 Hunter Hwy, Suite #2, Tunkhannock. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday for all Pennsylvania residents.
