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of things to avoid any issues ,” Mitchell said . “ We do a lot of fall prevention in jobs that could involve a lot of falls , so we get them into the clinic sooner to prevent those things from happening .”
Physical therapy in Vermilion County is mostly led by hospitals such as Carle , OSF and Christie Clinic and private companies such as Athletico and Fyzical .
“ There are not many momand-pop physical therapy places around and you might have to go to a place like ours , Mitchell said . “ My theory is what goes into it with insurance requirements and new technologies and research . It is hard for one person to deal with all of that without a team of people to back you up . We are a small clinic with my assistant , Destinee ( Moody ), and our support staff , but I have a hundreds of people I contact if I have a question .”
Mitchell said a great educational program is offered at Athletico , so “ we have a lot of classes available to us to make sure that we are at the top of the field and up to date on new procedures and technology so we can provide the best care . This profession constantly changes all of the time , so it is good to have that .”
Mitchell wants people to be aware of the many options and advantages in going to a clinic . “ A major thing that has changed is that total awareness has grown ,” Mitchell said . “ Patients can see a therapist without seeing a doctor first . Illinois offers that to most patents and people get into therapy faster . We promote that because not everyone will take up their time by going to the doctor .
“ We are skilled in that we
can see if we can help or direct you back to your primary care physician or specialist . It allows people to come in and cut down on price and time . It is not a new thing , but there has been more awareness to it .”
Another aspect that has improved in Mitchell ’ s 14 years as a therapist is an online presence .
“ One of the things that is unique , and Covid shined a fact on this , is that technology is important with health care ,” Mitchell said . “ We learned how to do telehealth . I thought it would be impossible to treat patients online , but we made it work . It is great that we are in-person again , but I feel the technology is going to keep evolving and growing .”
Athletico has embraced new technology with an online portal that encourages patients to sign up for the first visit , Mitchell said .
“ We like how we do with home workouts . Everyone has a phone or a tablet and we send them workouts during their sessions , so they have an exercise program . Those kinds of things will make us more accessible . They are more likely to do them and when it comes to physical therapy , if you make it more accessible , more people will do it .”
Athletico offers free assessments to potential clients .
“ I think that is great for the community that we offer free assessments ,” Mitchell said . “ You have to call and set up a time . You get 30 minutes with me and I assess what is going on and we set up a plan that can help and send you home with any stretches or exercises that can help and reach out to your doctor for a referral .”
When Mitchell took over as director of the clinic , she had her choice of who to pick on her
Physical Therapy assistant Destinee Moody stretches the leg of patient Betty Patton at the Danville Athletico Clinic . Photo by Marvin Holman staff and the easiest choice for her was Moody .
“ We have a long history together . I worked at OSF hospital and Destinee came on as an assistant ,” Mitchell said . “ I worked in an outpatient facility in Urbana and she was nice enough to help me there as well . When I came to Athletico in Danville and was looking for an assistant , I nominated her because she is solid and we have a great working relationship .”
Mitchell lives in Urbana , but is more than happy to take the drive to Danville every day to work with not only individuals , but groups in the town .
“ Danville is an awesome community ,” Mitchell said . “ I drive from Urbana here and I don ’ t want to go anywhere else because there are a lot of good people . I know previous managers have worked with sports teams like the Danville hockey teams , so we are always looking forward to working with teams and other clubs .
“ Since I have been here , I have worked with the Illinois Marathon . Some of my colleagues from Champaign set up a booth for anyone that needed to be stretched after finishing the race , so that was a lot of fun . Everyone was excited and happy and a good experience .”
Mitchell wants to expand the clinic ’ s reach to the community and a special project may help .
“ Every summer , Athletico has every clinic have a PT project and we have chosen a donation drive to the Vermilion County Animal Shelter ,” Mitchell said . “ We are donating as a clinic and we have a place here where patients can donate as well . It runs through mid-September and we will take or donations to the shelter .”
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