CALDWELL — Southeastern Med Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation is celebrating five years of service to the residents of Noble and surrounding counties at its facility on Woodsfield Road.
The facility filled a gap in the services that were lacking, but greatly needed in Noble County.
“We had been planning a clinic in Caldwell for a while and as time went on, we felt services were sliding and that was a population that needed a lot of health care,” said Dominic Crock, who served as director of rehabilitation when the facility opened on Nov. 1, 2016.
“We recruited Carol Pakes and then hired Braun Schwieterman with a goal of serving the community and further enhancing the commitment of Southeastern Med since we had already staffed a physician in the area. We wanted to show that we were offering services and we were willing to expand our medical outreach to the community and eventually to the schools in Noble County.”
According to staff, two of the most utilized services are physical therapy and athletic training services.
“We kind of specialize in orthopedics, whether that be post-operative care or sports-related injuries, that is the bread and butter of our case load,” said Schwieterman.
“One of the things that ties us into the community is we offer athletic training services at both Noble County schools – Caldwell Exempted Village and Noble Local,” added current Director of Rehabilitation Joe Ogle.
“That dials us into those student athletes and the trainers are able to correspond with the clinicians if there is an athlete that needs rehab. That’s a nice little perk.”
Another specialty is a technique called instrument assisted soft tissue immobilization, according to Schwieterman.
“We are able to use tools to get in deeper than our hands to promote soft tissue healing,” he said.
The staff is also trained in concussion management.
“That is a big push in sports medicine right now,” said Schwieterman. “Ensuring athletes with concussions are being rehabilitated properly and appropriately, and then when they are returning to sports, they are cleared to return symptom free.”
The Caldwell location also offers occupational therapy, speech therapy, and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.
“While orthopedics are the bread and butter, we also certainly see neurological patients with general weakness and that sort of thing,” said Ogle.
Occupational therapy services involve helping people relearn essential self-care tasks. Therapists offer outpatient services ranging from custom splinting and orthopedics to helping children with their sensory integration, motor skills and behavior.
The goal of a cardiac rehab plan is to improve the patient’s daily life and reduce the existing risk factors for their health.
Caldwell Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation is located next to the Superior Med Family Practice office of Becky Hall, a nurse practitioner .
“And, being right next door to our primary care provider, it’s weekly that Becky is on our side of the office checking on patients and asking how things are going,” added Schwieterman.
Another reason the facility has been successful, according to Schwieterman and Ogle, is the work of Pakes, a physical therapist assistant.
“We can’t credit her enough,” said Schwieterman. “This is one of the bigger reasons we have been successful in Noble County. Carol has been providing exceptional care to Noble County residents for 20 years and the reputation she has developed in the community is one of the main reasons we are so busy.
“People have pre-existing relations with Carol. They know the type of person she is and the type of care she provides.”
Pakes believes is it the one-on-one care patients receive that brings them back.
“We see a wide array of diagnosis but we really spend the time to make it a one-on-one situation to give the patient the best care that they need. We give them the attention that is appropriate for them at their own pace,” she said.
But the excellent service doesn’t stop with the therapy staff.
“If there are any concerns when someone is being referred by a physician for physical therapy, our staff will check their insurance obligations and let them know what that is going to be before they start rehab.”
The staff at the Caldwell clinic, as well as other Southeastern Med locations, is ever mindful of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact.
The flexible hours of operation helps with everything from social distancing to accommodating after-school and after-work schedules.
“Being injured and having surgery is already enough of an interruption in your life, so we try to do our best to be accommodating and just be one less stressor,” Schwieterman said.
Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
“We have been here for five years and we are not going anywhere,” said Ogle. “This is a strong clinic that we only want to grow and remain within Noble County.
“Braun, Carol, Dominic and myself are all Noble County natives, and it’s very important to us that we give back to our community and this is, in fact, one way we can do that,” Ogle said.
