HONESDALE, PA — Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers’ (WMCHC) Board of Directors has appointed Teresa “Terri” Lacey, RN, BSN, CPHQ, to the position of Chief Executive Officer.  The change in leadership follows the retirement of Frederick Jackson who led the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) as Executive Director for the past nearly 16 years.

While confidently handing over the reins to Lacey, Jackson stated, “Terri has the ability, compassion, commitment and leadership needed to shepherd our organization to continued future success.”

In her more than 30-year healthcare career in northeast Pennsylvania, Lacey held various leadership positions encompassing behavioral health, emergency services, inpatient care, home health and quality improvement.

“Working throughout the whole continuum has helped me learn a great deal about accessibility of care,” stated Lacey.

She most recently served as the Executive Director of the Behavioral Health Initiative at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton for six years. She was the Senior Vice President of Operations/Quality & Safety and Human Effectiveness at The Wright Center Medical Group & Center for Graduate Medical Education, Scranton, for three years. Lacey also spent three years as the Chief Operating Officer for Emergency Services and Smart Operational Solutions in Dunmore. Earlier in her career she was employed by Scranton’s Community Medical Center where she spent seven years as the Director of Nursing after being promoted from Director of Clinical Outcomes & Quality Management. Prior to that, Lacey held management positions in the areas of Quality Improvement and Home Health for Mercy Hospital also located in Scranton.

Lacey says she “loves the mission of a FQHC – serving the underserved,” and added that she feels her background in healthcare quality improvement “matches up with that mission.”

Lacey shared that she wasn’t necessarily looking for a career change. However, having heard about the position from leaders within Wayne Memorial whom she worked with while in previous positions, she decided to pursue the possibility. “The more I learned about the position and met with board members and staff, I realized how much I missed the community aspect,” said Lacey regarding her decision to ultimately accept the role as WMCHC’s Chief Executive Officer.

Lacey looks forward to maintaining the symbiotic relationship between Wayne Memorial Hospital and WMCHC by “working toward goals that align with each other” noting that “we are serving the same community although we are two separate entities.”

Jackson officially stepped down on February 1, 2023. During his tenure, he was credited with growing the multi-specialty network of physician practices from just a few offices to the current roster of 18 sites serving nine communities across four counties. Also notable was his leadership of the fourth largest FQHC in Pennsylvania to meet the needs of the community throughout the COVID 19 pandemic. Additionally, Jackson served on the Pennsylvania Association of Health Centers’ Board of Directors since 2015 holding multiple key offices including board chair from April, 2020 to December, 2021.

WMCHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center clinically affiliated with Wayne Memorial Health System, Inc. For more information regarding our services, visit www.wmhchc.net.