Womack Army Medical Center celebrated a significant milestone on Wednesday, May 14 as they opened the physical therapy clinic embedded in Clark Health Clinic following a decade-long initiative to establish full scope physical therapy services within the clinic. 

“This allows Soldiers to complete their medical services within one footprint,” said Capt. Jessica Tan, officer in charge of Clark Physical Therapy Clinic. “By increasing access to care and managing musculoskeletal injuries more effectively, the clinic will contribute significantly to the overall readiness and deployability of service members.”

According to Dr. Esmeralda Morrison, supervisory physical therapist, the opening of this facility will increase the access to care for the Soldiers of Special Operations Command, Second Security Forces Assistance Brigade, 20th Engineer Brigade, 528th Sustainment Brigade, 108 Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 50th Expeditionary Signal Battalion and will provide additional medical support for the installation. 

“The physical therapists and physical therapy assistants will now be able to maximize their services to aid in the recovery and prevention of injuries, directly improving the medical readiness of the warfighter,” said Morrison

“Musculoskeletal injuries are the number one reason for Soldiers being medically non-deployable,” said Tan. “With the opening of this facility, we will be able to increase our capacity for managing musculoskeletal injuries and improve access to care.”

Initiating physical therapy promptly leads to shorter recovery times, directly enhancing Soldier readiness and deployability. Clark Physical Therapy Clinic's primary mission is to provide high quality musculoskeletal rehabilitative services to active-duty service members. They aim to decrease return to duty timelines, expediting service members’ return to the fight.

Col. Stephanie Mont, Hospital Commander, commended the work of all involved, recognizing their success. “When I came into the military 24 years ago, there wasn’t nearly the depth and breadth of physical therapy and rehabilitation services that we have now. That growth is a true testament to the work that you all do every day to show the value your care brings to the military to ensure that our service members are able to stay in the fight and succeed in whatever missions they are called upon to support.”

Clark Physical Therapy Clinic will maintain similar capabilities to the other outpatient physical therapy clinics on the installation. The clinic will feature a Boost treadmill system which allows Soldier to run while offloading up to 80 percent of their bodyweight. This technology is useful for those returning to running after a lower body injury, particularly a bone stress injury or stress fracture.

Maj. Erin Foley, Physical Therapy Service Line chief, credited the successful completion of the project to the exceptional teamwork and collaboration of leadership, logistics teams, project managers and physical therapy professionals. 

The opening of this facility will increase access to care for Soldiers and provide additional medical support to the installation. The Clark Physical Therapy Clinic will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday with musculoskeletal sick call at 6:30. For information visit https://womack.tricare.mil/Clinics/Clark-Health-Clinic

Disclaimer: The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Story accessed on DVIDS, originally by Keisha Frith, Womack Army Medical Center