A Slippery Rock University student organization has received a grant to open a free physical therapy clinic beginning this fall.
Slippery Rock Pro Bono Physical Therapy (SRPBPT) will be open to the public and run by graduate students from SRU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program volunteering as therapists.
The organization received a $3,100 grant from a nonprofit group, which will help with the purchase of equipment, such as treatment tables and a recumbent bike. The group also fundraises and receives funding from the Slippery Rock Student Government Association.
The clinic will be located on SRU’s campus. Patients will be referred from local professional clinics in Butler, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties once it’s determined that the patient can’t afford treatment, either because they do not have insurance, the insurance copay is too costly or they maxed out their insurance benefits to continue treatment.
“I love building relationships with people, I love helping people and I love physical therapy,” said Amber Kilgore, a graduate student majoring in physical therapy from Slippery Rock who is the president of SRPBPT. “What better way to do all three things and what a great opportunity to be able to do it before starting our careers? I think it’s just terrific for students to work together and give back to the community. It’s a big part of our profession.”
According to James Eng, associate professor of physical therapy and the SRPBPT adviser, student-run, pro-bono clinics are rare, especially a volunteer-based clinic like SRPBPT, because of the time commitment.
“It takes a lot of work and development, and it’s work the students have to do between classes,” Eng said. “These students are doing it on their own time as busy as they are, so it’s difficult to pull it off and this will be a credit to their hard work.”
There are 100 students enrolled in the two-year Doctor of Physical Therapy program at SRU and SRPBPT organizers anticipate about 25 interested volunteers would be able to treat as many as four patients per evening as early as October.
The idea for starting a student-run, pro-bono physical therapy clinic at SRU was first developed by Ben Richards, who earned his doctorate in physical therapy from SRU in 2017 and his bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2014. As an SRU student, Richards attended a conference in Philadelphia with Eng where they learned how schools like Widener University created a pro-bono clinic. SRU is the first school in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education to establish such a clinic and SRPBPT will be the only one of its kind in western Pennsylvania.
“I was excited about (the clinic) when I came here because it’s a unique opportunity to be involved in the community and leave a lasting impact helping others,” said Maryellen Davis, a graduate student majoring in physical therapy from Falls Church, Virginia, and secretary of the SRPBPT. “It’s important for people in health professions to use their skills throughout their careers to help other people when they can. It’s awesome that we are (now) starting this clinic.”
The post SRU Grad Students To Open Free Physical Therapy Clinic appeared first on ButlerRadio.com – Butler, PA.
