One highlight of 2020 was adding MTI Physical Therapy to our roster of volunteer providers. Formed in 1998 by three practicing therapists, the organization has since grown to seven locations across the region.
MTI prides itself in its providers — a fun, caring and highly educated group. All providers at MTI have a high level of advanced training. The majority of MTI’s providers have completed their Orthopedic Manual Therapy Residency through the Ola Grimsby Institute, a post-graduate education consortium, or they have completed their Sports Residency through MTI’s own program, which was started in 2020. They also have Fellowship opportunities through the Ola Grimsby Institute, and many of the physical therapists continue on a journey of further education as MTI is a teaching clinic.
Patient-centered care
According to marketing manager Anna Starikov, “MTI looks at the whole patient — the treatment is entirely patient-centered.”
They focus on the whole person to determine a customized treatment plan. And patients will never work with an assistant or trainer; they will work the entire time with a licensed physical therapist (PT). A patient will typically start in a private treatment room, where their PT will assess their needs and use hands-on manual therapy techniques. They will then transition to the clinic’s gym to focus on strength and therapeutic exercises to rebuild and/or recover from injury, using state-of-the-art equipment. Patients are then sent home with an exercise plan that can be done in the privacy of their own homes, so that healing can continue.
Special thanks to Rebecca Catlin
We are so grateful to MTI for providing services for our patients — none of which would have happened without physical therapist and Project Access Northwest donor, Rebecca Catlin. Becca came to us a couple of years ago to see how she might serve patients and become more involved.
She shared, “Bottom line for me personally is that I feel compelled to help meet the tangible needs of people in my neighborhood who are struggling. When I looked around at various volunteer opportunities, I kept coming back to the reality that the greatest skill I have to share is my ability to improve people’s function, reduce pain, and augment quality of life through physical therapy. Health care access is a huge stumbling block for many people, and I am excited to be able to share my knowledge and passion around PT with people who would otherwise be left out of these important aspects of care.”
Physical therapy is a critical specialty for Project Access Northwest. Almost 10% of our patients received PT in 2020. They see PTs in order to pursue more conservative therapies, to build strength prior to surgery, to aid post-surgical recovery, or to avoid surgery altogether.
When we asked Becca why she felt Project Access Northwest was the right fit for her talents and to share with the MTI team, she replied, “Project Access Northwest was a great fit because they take on the logistics and roadblocks that I would incur trying to connect with people who need our services. MTI has been supportive in this process, allowing any PT who wants to participate to take patients at any of our locations.”
We truly appreciate Becca and MTI for their expert treatment of our patients!