Through snow and ice, outpatient rehab patients and therapists continue on

Cathy Borne

North Texas welcomed February with rain, snow, sleet and ice, causing most area residents to stay home, especially since area schools closed. But in health care, workers are conditioned to show up regardless of the weather storming outside and those working at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford today were no exception.

In spite of the conditions, 17 dedicated therapists and support staff made it in to the Texas Health HEB Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center to provide outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services to patients. The patients are being treated for a variety of medical conditions and injuries such as low back pain, stroke, frozen shoulder and a displaced finger fracture. I am very proud of the therapy staff for their dedication to their patients and I asked some of them about their reasons for making it to work today. The short version of their answers though is that they knew other coworkers and the patients were counting on them.

Leah Green, PT said that she had a very full schedule and she did not want to have her co-workers have to pick up extra work if she did not get here.  “I did not want my patients to go through the effort of getting here and then me not be here for them, “ said Elizabeth Corbin, PT.  Maddi Dudley, medical office receptionist, stated, “I knew I was needed to cover patient phone calls at the front desk, so my husband graciously offered to bring me in.”  I had a few patients that I knew would be here no matter what, so I had to come for them,” said Cathy Borne, PT.  Michele Defley, OT, CHT finished with, “I will always be here for the patients, no matter what.”

I also wanted to check with the patients about their motivation for coming in to therapy in the hazardous conditions.  One patient with low back pain jokingly said that he was “shamed into coming by his therapist” because if she was here, then he would have to make it in also.  Another patient with a frozen shoulder stated that “if you are open, I might as well come in and get the work done, no one else is open today.”  “I haven’t missed one appointment yet, and I wasn’t going to miss one today,” said a patient also with low back pain.  The woman with a displaced finger fracture said that she has a limited number of therapy visits before she returns to see her surgeon and her goal to be able to make a full fist by the time she returned to her doctor was very important to her.  “If I don’t reach this goal by the time I go back to the doctor, he warned me that my range of motion might always be limited, so I am not missing an appointment.”

These are just a few examples of the dedication our patients and therapists make each day and I’m so proud to work side by side with them. For more information on the program, please visit here.

Jeanie Parsley, PT, DPT, MBA
Director Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Senior Healthcare Center/Wound Care Clinic/Diabetes Education
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst Euless Bedford