Elite Physical Therapy plans to reopen 10 clinics by next week

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Elite Physical Therapy, which has 10 locations throughout Rhode Island, has begun reopening their clinics this week after shutting down shop due to the COVID-19 crisis, and will have all locations open next week.

The clinics will be returning the majority of their staff, many of who were laid off during the pandemic. The therapists have also made some adjustments to their approach to accommodate patients in a safe, hygienic atmosphere that adheres to state health guidelines.

As essential health care workers, Elite owner Michael Nula said the clinics could have remained opened, but he chose to close them to “help flatten the curve” and to ensure they had the right protocols in place before reopening.

“We’ve put so much attention on educating our staff and updating our clinics. We’ve made updates and changes so we can observe social distancing, limit the amount of people in the clinics at one time, extra steps with cleaning procedures so we can ensure a clean and safe environment for patients and staff. Our therapists are wearing FDA approved masks and in accordance with state guidelines we’ll have our patients wear masks too, as well as our admin staff,” Nula said.

Along with following social distancing procedures, the company has also put a heightened focus on cleaning the facilities frequently throughout the day.

“We are being very vigilant with cleaning procedures. Our therapists are washing their hands between each session or using hand sanitizer of at least 60 percent alcohol. We are cleaning frequently touched objects and surfaces, equipment that we use with patients before and after,” said Nula. “We are also doing daily screenings of our staff and patients of symptoms or exposure to COVID-19. If they meet that criteria, they’ll be rescheduled after two weeks and after consulting and being cleared by their doctor.”

Nula and company are excited to open their doors again, and to provide service to those in need during the international crisis.

“Right now, we want to help as many people as possible and to do that safely. We are excited to fulfill our purpose of helping others. We’re happiest when we’re helping people and helping them improve their health,” said Nula. “We’re sensitive to what is going on so we want to be accessible to answer people’s questions, available not only for rehabilitation purposes, but emotionally for people that have that connection with our patients. We want to be there for them and supportive for them. It’s a confusing time, a stressful time, and that stress can accentuate pain. We’re excited to be available to help people.”

Nula also urges those in pain to continue to seek medical help, despite the current circumstances.

“We just want to remind our patients that if they have a problem, consult their doctor, ask for a prescription or order for physical therapy, call our office and we’ll take care of the rest. Living in pain is not a normal way of life, and we are here to make it easy for them,” said Nula.

Elite Physical Therapy has also been offering virtual sessions “telehealth” for clients online as well, so they can receive treatment from the comfort and safety of their own home.

These online sessions allow patients to interact in real time with their respective therapists to receive treatment and advice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Patients will now have a connection with their therapists online, it’s all HIPAA safe, a protective platform. Patients can schedule a time and make a virtual physical therapy session with their physical therapists. They can see them live on video from the comfort of their home,” said Nula.

The company has been offering these online appointments since late March, and moved quickly to make sure its clients would not be without service for very long.

“We had to move quickly and be agile like many other businesses throughout this crisis. It was something that we had been researching, it was something that we had been interested in doing in the past. We hadn’t implemented it until everything hit with the COVID,” said Nula, who thanked his group of PT’s and their ability to work on the fly. “Thankfully, physical therapists by nature are very adaptable and they’re very creative. We did have to move quickly, literally overnight. For as much coordination that had to happen, I think the group came along quite nicely so we could put it all together and be accessible for our patients.”

So far, patients have been satisfied with the virtual sessions. Despite not being able to interact with their PT’s in person, Nula believes that his clients have enjoyed staying active and healthy both physically and mentally during this crisis.

“The feedback from patients has been very positive. They’re enjoying the opportunity to not regress in their condition, they’ve enjoyed the opportunity to have that engagement with their physical therapists, to feel connected. That social engagement is really what everyone is craving at this time. We love our family of course, but everyone is kind of restricted to their family at this time, so that public connection is really being craved at this time,” said Nula. “Our patients and physical therapists are having a nice opportunity to stay connected. That doesn’t just help the physical ability to stay healthy, it also helps the mental and spiritual aspect for patients. Mentally and emotionally, we're getting positive feedback.”

Nula and company are prepared to offer these sessions for as long as the crisis continues, and embrace the ability to continue to help others during their time of need.

“Everything is going to be alright, you’re going to feel better and we’re here to help you do that,” said Nula. “Patients prefer to be in person, it’s human nature to want that contact, but this is a nice alternative. It’s very productive, patients are experiencing that it is a great use of their time and they’re making progress. It’s a relief to be able to continue to provide service. It’s a nice, ancillary piece to our practice, but we do look forward to getting back to providing hands on service to our patients.”

Nula opened his first clinic in Warwick 17 years ago. The company has since grown to employ more than 100 at 10 clinics throughout the state.

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